


Swords and Guns

by Jokester (orphan_account)



Series: Fics from back when smut was called Lemons and Quizilla was still around [2]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Cosplay, F/M, Maid Cafe, Mary Sue, Violence, like legit was i obsessed with vocaloid this much?, this is the most problematic fic ive ever written, vocaloid tributes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 22:22:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 38,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10886109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Jokester
Summary: Ok, this is no question about it, the most problematic fic I have ever written for various reasons. That being said, it's just another oc-insert from when I was in middle school. I am sorry in advanced if you do actually read this.





	1. Arrival

               The plane roared through the sky as it made its way to Japan. Next stop: Ikebukuro. The blonde haired girl stared excitedly out the window. She was fifteen and her parents allowed her to travel to Japan for an anime convention but only if she brought them back trophies from a Karate tournament in the same city. Of course, she agreed, knowing that it’d be easy in the small tournament.

               She spent most of her free time learning Japanese so she didn’t have to look for someone who could speak her language. She was humming along with a song that contained both languages as the stewardess came up beside her.

               The woman was American and Japanese with silky black hair and bright green eyes. The younger girl looked at the slim woman and smiled, removing part of her headphone. “Hi,” she greeted the familiar woman.

               The stewardess smiled at the girl she’d been long time friends with. They’d met online and she was actually the one who arranged the flight for the teen. “Akira-chan,” the woman chuckled, “Would you like a drink?”

               “Coke, please, Yuko-chan,” the blonde said politely.

               The woman nodded, smiling happily. She quickly poured a nice, tall glass of the icy beverage for the first class flyer. It was really more of a private flight with a few other anime lovers. “So you got your parents to let you stay for the break here in Japan?” Yuko asked, casually making conversation.

               The blonde nodded. “Only for the break for Japanese students, though,” she said regrettably, “I’ll have to return home before my own summer gets up.” She sighed. “It’s so disappointing! I wanted to stay for a few years and learn stuff here!”

               The older woman smiled and nodded. “Maybe you can get them to let you!” she suggested.

               The girl sighed. “I hope so,” she chuckled sadly.

               They continued their calm conversation before Saki had to be called away for work. Farewells were pleasant, knowing they’d see each other soon enough. Akira put the headphone back over her ear and continued with her humming, starting up a different song. It was a song by the famous Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku. World is Mine played loudly through  her headphones, threatening her ears.

               The plane landed slowly, demanding the silence of any electronics. Pouting, Akira turned off her iPod and put her headphones around her neck. She nodded her head as she hummed the part that was stuck in her head, which, of course, was the bare beginning of the song.

               The craft landed with a bump, causing the blonde’s hands to grip the arm rests tighter. She sighed in relief. She always hated the landings. Akira waited for her turn to get off the plane and get her bags. It was strangely quick, but maybe because she had a long way to go to get to her hotel.

               The streets of Ikebukuro were like home. They were neither friendly nor fierce. She strolled happily along the streets, humming happily to her once again playing music. It got darker and darker. She wasn’t paying any attention, her eyes closed.

               She nodded her head happily, humming out the song that soothed her ears. The next Hatsune song began, soothing and happy to her ears. The blonde’s voice rose to her throat, forcing her to sing along to the beginning.

               Akira’s voice was smooth and loving as she sang, “Watashi no koi wo higeki no JULIET ni shinaide koko kara tsuredashite~” The words she sang obviously the beginning of Romeo and Cinderella.

               “Sore ja ikou ka,” a voice answered from behind her.

               The blonde stopped, wide-eyed, wondering who would know the same song she was singing. Removing her headphones, she paused and listened for the male’s voice. She turned her head, wondering who it was. She finally turned around to come face to face with a blonde haired boy with an ear ring on his left ear. She looked around, wondering if he was looking at someone else. Finding no one, Akira decided he was looking at her and the smiling boy was the one who sang so beautifully. “E-eto…” she stuttered nervously, not exactly knowing how the greet the boy.

               He smiled just a bit wider and put his arm around her shoulder. “You new here?” he guessed, leaning in closer to her face.

               She blushed slightly but nodded, chuckling nervously. “Yeah,” she murmured, “Any idea where a girl can hang for a few months?”

               He chuckled and leapt back a pace so they had some distance between each other. “Well!” he said flirtatiously, putting out a peace sign in front of her face and winking, “I happen to know everyone and every place around here! Of course, the only place I’d want you to stay is with me.” He pointed a finger back at him.

               She broke into a smile, trying not to laugh. By that point the song had already passed, bringing a new song. Her eyes darted to her iPod and she put her headphones back on. “Gomen,” she laughed as she nodded to the new song, “I love this song.”

               He smiled and took one of the headphones, putting it by his own ear. By doing so their faces were touching just slightly. “Mou yukiba ga nai wa, kono koi no netsuryou,” she sang quietly along with Love is War.

               She could feel the boy’s foot tapping beside her as they hummed the rest. “BAKA da na… Watashi!” she sang again, shaking her head as she meant the very words she sang. She really was a fool.

               She could tell the brown-eyes boy was smiling at her as she continued humming the song. “Kore wa sensou,” the boy sang soon after her.

               Akira’s heart jumped. His voice was sweet and calming, almost loving. Her favorite part was coming up and she prepared to sing along to it. “Naite nanka,” she murmured the words.

               “Nai n’dakara ne,” he whispered after her, his voice sad.

“Daisuki!” she sang as loud as the boy.

They looked at each other. Both blonde’s blushed, not humming anymore. The song faded slowly away after the last few words were sung by the virtual idol. Akira pulled her headphone away from him and took a step back. “Gomen,” they chuckled at the same time.

Akira put the navy and black headphones around her neck and smiled. “Have you heard this one?” the boy started up a conversation again, “Nigakute hotto na supaisu.”

She laughed. “Have you heard this one?” she countered, “Just be friends. It’s time to say good-bye. Just be friends!”

He put his hand over his heart as if he was shot and laughed. “Ouch!” he chuckled, “I thought we had something going here!”

She laughed and put her hands behind her head in a relaxed position. They looked at each other for a little while before a voice interrupted sharply. “Kida!” the person yelled.

Both blonde’s turned their heads towards a boy about their age running towards them. “Tch,” the boy apparently named Kida murmured under his breath, “Always at the wrong time with this guy!”

Akira looked from Kida to the dark haired boy and back and back again. “E-eto…?” she murmured to herself.

The boy ran up to them and stood by Kida. “What is it Mikado?” the blonde boy asked the other dark haired boy. Then he whispered, though Akira’s sharp hearing could still hear him say, “I was just about to score! What’s so important?”

“I should be going anyway,” Akira excused herself, “Got a busy week and should get some sleep.” She was thinking about the Expo and how she had to win at the tournament as well.

“Hang on,” Kida paused her, “There’s no rush.”

She stopped and watched them, putting her headphones over her head to drown them out. It was Uninstall by Miku’s fail copy, Haku Yowane. Personally, Akira felt like Haku was better than the leek spinning Vocaloid and would love to see her become a real one. She sure seemed famous enough; even more famous than some of the actual Vocaloids. She hummed to the sad song full-heartedly. “Uninstall, uninstall,” she whispered barely audible.

Akira felt herself fade away from reality into the darkness that really surrounded her. She suddenly remembered that she was carrying luggage to a place she didn’t know where she was staying that contained all of her stuff. She gasped, ending the humming to the song and interrupted the boys heated conversation. “Hey!” she yelled at them, grabbing their attention, “Don’t mean to be rude, but does anyone know where I can hang for a while? I forgot, but I’m in a serious hurry!”

The boys stared at her for a moment then Kida smiled. “Like I said, you can always stay at my place,” he winked.

She laughed sarcastically. “Seriously, I need a place to crash,” she murmured crossly.

“I think he was being serious,” the boy named Mikado suggested cautiously.

She stared at the two disbelievingly. She shook her head. “I just met you…” she began.

“And we’re the first two you met, right?” Mikado asked curiously.

Akira nodded sadly. “I just really need to find somewhere,” she murmured.

“And my place is somewhere,” Kida pointed out.

She sighed. He was right, but she was still unsure about the blonde. He was obviously a fail of a player. Akira shook her head hesitantly. “I don’t know…” she murmured slowly.

They both stared at her and she had trouble picking one to stare at. She decided to go to Kida’s eyes first and let a small gasp escape her lips. His brown orbs were full of regret and false happiness. They shown with protection and hope, though they were shy and shut in. She stared wide-eyed at him for a moment before finally pulling her gaze towards Mikado.

Her eyes didn’t waver from their shocked position. Same color, different emotions. The boy’s eyes were full of a false sense of innocence and curiosity. Behind the fakeness, there sat to many secrets. She saw hurt and happiness as well as safeness and adventure.

Yet, she somehow she felt as if her trust was safe with them, yet it was too unstable. She was sure she could trust them, yet something forbid her. She stepped back, slightly stunned. “No,” she murmured, sacredly, “I-It can’t be…”

She finally knew why she couldn’t get herself to trust them. They were _gang_ leaders! She had heard of all the gangs in Ikebukuro, but never figured she’d meet their leaders. The Yellow Scarves  and the Dollars. Akira trembled, slightly but soon enough received her strength. Still, she was scared.

Akira swiftly picked up her bag and threw the heavy luggage over her shoulder like a backpack and began running. She had no idea where and she hoped that they wouldn’t follow. The streets became blurred until they turned black. She closed her eyes and put the headphones over her ears.

The music was an English song by Yellowcard called Fighting. She didn’t know how it fit the moment; she had gotten it for inspiration for her fighting in Karate, but somehow it fit the moment.

She ran quickly and soon the song faded into no more than a distant whisper. She gasped for breath, not daring to open her eyes, and ran faster and faster. She heard echoing voices and laughter. She ran faster and faster until she was at her limit. It took little time before she ran into something warm, though.

Akira flew backwards clumsily. She opened her eyes in a daze and rubbed her head, grateful for the cushion of her bag. She looked up slowly at what she bumped into only to find a blonde man with a cigarette in his mouth wearing sunglasses and a bartender outfit.

The blonde gasped and stood up, ignoring her own pain and hoping she hadn’t injured or angered the person. “I’m so sorry!” she repeated a few times.

He just stared at her, surprised. This unnerved her and she continued in a rush, “I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry! Jeez, I’m such an idiot! I should’ve watched where I was going! I’m so very, super so—!”

Her voice cracked as she felt hands grab her wrists. She looked down to see he stopped her waving arms and was looking deep into her eyes.

She blushed slightly as she stared into his eyes. Now here was a person she could trust. Even through his blue glasses she could see all the pain in his brown eyes. His eyes were somehow pure and trustable. Although they kept no secrets, they were somehow darkened with anger and sorrow. Akira shook her head to clear her thoughts, trying not to get lost in his eyes.

               When the blonde looked back, he hadn’t moved. She could smell the cigarette because it was so close. The man pulled back and let her go. “There’s no need to be so sorry,” he murmured, “I won’t hurt you.”

               She cocked her head. “Why would I be afraid of being hurt?” she asked curiously.

               He looked at her, surprise in his eyes. “You’re not from here, are you?” he asked.

               Akira nodded. “Nope,” she explained embarrassedly, “I’m actually from America. They call me Akira, by the way.” She shifted her feet nervously. Why was that so important?

               He nodded. “Nice to meet you, Akira-san,” his rough voice made her shiver as he said her name with such politeness, “I’m Shizuo. Sorry, I thought you knew.”

               He looked away but she only smiled. “Knew what, Shizuo-san?” she asked with the same politeness he gave her.

               The brown-eyed man looked at her and smiled. “People are afraid of me,” he explained, “because they think that I’ll hurt them. It’s not unreasonable, though. When I get really angry I can’t control myself. I don’t like it, though. I really do hate violence.”

               She chuckled. “So basically you’re super strong when you get pissed and they are scared because of that?” she wondered aloud, “That’s actually pretty cool.”

               He stared at her disbelievingly for a moment. “Akira-san,” he whispered in his shock.

               She looked at him, cocking her head just slightly at him in question. He only smiled and brushed whatever his thought was away. She turned and picked up her bag, putting it behind her shoulder again with ease. He looked at her, again surprised. “It’s not heavy?” he asked, chuckling slightly.

               Akira liked Shizuo’s laugh. She shook her head, making her hair fly in front of her face for a moment. “It is,” she reassured, “But I can handle more than this.”

               He smiled at her, adjusting his glasses with his middle finger, his eyes closed. They were silent for a moment. “Hey,” the blonde girl asked, breaking the silence, “Do you know where I can crash for a month or three? Preferably cheap?”

               Shizuo looked at her for a minute. “There aren’t any cheap hotels, if that’s what you mean,” he decided.

               She sighed but nodded. “Any other place, then?” she asked with absolutely no emotion.

               He looked at her for a moment, obviously thinking. She looked back at him, a tired look on her face. He opened his mouth as if about to say something but a sharp, fearful voice interrupted before he could even start. “Hey!” the familiar voice cried.

               Akira turned slightly to see Kida and… crap, what was the other boy’s name? Mikado, that was it. She sighed. “Damn,” she cursed under her breath, “Why’d they follow me?”

               She could feel Shizuo’s eyes on her as she quickly turned around. “Anywhere?” she asked, getting back on topic and trying to ignore the boys.

               He shrugged. “You can always stay with me,” he suggested.

               Akira risked a quick glance at the boys and looked back quickly before nodding. “Yeah, sure, why not,” she said calmly.

               The blonde man nodded as the two teens ran up cautiously. “There you are!” Kida yelled at her, “What are you doing? Run!”

               She turned to him slightly sideways and leaned on her right leg, her jacket falling slightly off her left arm. She had her left hand in the pocket as her right held the suitcase. She scowled. “What do you want?” she growled, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

               They stopped and stared at her in shock. “W-what?” Mikado stuttered dumbly.

               “What do you want,” she repeated in the same annoyed tone, turning fully towards them and bending her back just so slightly.

               They just stared blankly at her, fear written all over their faces. She sighed and adjusted her weight, straightening her back. Her head was tilted upwards and she brought it down sharply, opening her eyes and glaring dangerously. “I asked you a question,” she murmured, “You going to answer me or just stand there dumbly? If not, then go ahead and leave.”

               The boys remained quiet, obviously shocked. She took her hand from the pocket and place it over her downward-titled face. “Jeez,” she breathed tiredly.

               She looked at the other teens through her fingers. “What do you want from me?” she asked finally, hoping they’d do something.

               Still, neither one responded. She was just about to turn to leave when Kida spoke up. _Finally_ , she thought, _words!_ “We came to find out why you ran off,” he explained calmly, trying to hide his obvious fear.

               She sighed. At least he said something. “Reasons only I would understand,” she murmured angrily, avoiding his gaze.

               “Fine,” Kida murmured, “But at least tell me your name.”

               Akira was taken aback by the question. She looked at the blonde for a moment, not knowing what to say. “Why?” she said simply, trying to avoid the question.

               He smiled, tilting his head to one side while leaning forward, his hands on his hip. “Why not?” he asked, chuckling slyly, “Can’t I at least have a pretty girl’s name?”

               Her lips twitched into a smirk and back into a scowl. “Sure,” she agreed, “You can have a pretty girl’s name. Her name is Yuko.”

               She could feel Shizuo’s surprise. She couldn’t help but smirk, knowing she just gave away the name of her friend. She turned and began walked nowhere in particular. “Of course,” she continued over her shoulder, “That isn’t my name!”

               She walked a little further until she was out of sight. The bag was becoming heavy and she was growing even more tired. “Kuso,” she cussed.

               Akira came to a stop by an alley and sat down. She sighed and pulled in her knees slightly. “I don’t even know where Shizuo-san lives,” she reminded herself, pulling her knees in tighter.

               “Then come with me,” she heard the man’s voice.

               Her eyes were wide with surprise when she looked up at him. He was holding out a friendly hand to her and she gladly took it. “Thanks,” she murmured embarrassedly.

               He nodded, looking away, as she picked up her bag and put it back over her shoulder. Akira followed as he began walking. She walked at his side and a little behind. He was fast. “What was that all -about?” he broke the awkward silence.

               Shizuo’s voice was harsh yet calm and understanding; it confused her. She sighed, looking at the ground. “I bumped into them a while ago,” she explained how she met but trailed off.

               He looked at her, concern in his eyes. “Why _did_ you run from them?” his voice was curious.

               Again, she sighed. “Their eyes…” she murmured.

               Shizuo frowned and Akira smiled sadly. “I read people through their eyes,” she explained, “It’s something I picked up a while ago. Nothing special, but rarely found and handy. Their eyes… They just… scared me a little is all. I decided I couldn’t completely trust them and overreacted, I guess.”

               “I see,” the man murmured. He paused for a moment but quickly added, “So you read me through my eyes?”

               She whispered a chuckle but nodded. “Yeah,” she said casually, almost proudly.

               “What did you see?” he asked the obvious question.

               Akira let him ask, only to think ahead of time about what was going to be said. “It’s kinda hard to explain,” she began nervously.

               “Try anyway,” Shizuo demanded kindly.

               She smiled and sighed. “There was something in your eyes that was true,” she murmured truthfully, “Something that made me trust you from the start. Hmm….” She trailed off, trying to remember exactly what she had seen. “There was pain,” she continued dreamily, “They were darkened with anger but a deep sorrow. Yet, they were pure and honest.” She looked at the dimmed stars, smiling happily at the thought.

               Akira had forgotten Shizuo was beside her. She began daydreaming about nothing, yet it made her happily in a daze. A soft meow escaped her lips, barely audible, even to her. She stayed in that trance for a moment before the man poked her sharply. She let out a small cry of pain and rubbed her arm, still holding her bag. She looked at him, trying to remember what she was doing. He had stopped. “What was that for?” she murmured, more of annoyed than angry.

               He nodded towards a house. “We’re here,” he explained.

               She sighed and nodded. “Thanks,” she murmured.

               He nodded as they walked up to the door. The blonde man opened the door quickly and let her inside first. She took his offer and walked into the dark house. A light flicked on and she knew he had flipped the light switch. “You can put your stuff in the guest room,” Shizuo told her, leading her to an empty but neat room, “It used to be my brothers….” He trailed off and she didn’t push it.

               “Thanks again,” she said, putting her bag by the closet.

               He only nodded. She sat on the bed, wondering what to do next. She yawned and figured she should get some sleep. The next day was the tournament and she was tired as hell. “I guess I should get some sleep,” she yawned again.

               “Okay,” Shizuo murmured, “I’ll be in the room down the hall if you need me.”

               “M’kay,”  she murmured tiredly.

               “Okay,” he murmured back, heading out the room.

               He turned off the light as he left and closed the door just slightly. She silently thanked him for doing so and flopped down onto the bed. What a day. She pulled the covers over her and up to her nose. She took in a deep breath, taking in the sweet scent of a clean bed. She smiled.

               Akira found herself wondering who his brother was. Whoever he was, Shizuo must love him enough to keep his bed sheets clean. She smiled, thinking that or he was just that cool. The blonde became dazed and drifted swiftly into a calm sleep.

               The blue-eyed girl was in the middle of a fight. They were in the middle of an alley, clashing blades. She held a sword at hand, wielding it skillfully. Her opponent, a shadowed figure, held a shining blade with such grace it was almost unbelievable. Her teeth were gritted and her blue eyes narrowed sharply. She flew back swiftly, dragging her feet on the ground to stop herself. Her opponent did the same, practically mocking her.

               They ran towards each other, blades shining in the moonlight. There was a harsh echo of clashing metal and a small spark as the blades hit. The fighters flew back once more, straightening up and walking calmly towards each other this time. It was almost like they were dancing it was so graceful.

               Hands were flung to their respective sides as the owners of the blades prepared for another lunge. They circled each other for a moment, eyeing each other suspiciously. Suddenly, there was a harsh laughter.

 It grew louder and louder and Akira let her guard down. She gritted her teeth as her body hit the pavement. The impact made her loose her breath and a good sum of blood flew from her mouth. She gathered herself, ready for anything. The shadow knelt onto the ground, pressing their switchblade to her neck. She pulled back, even allowing them better access.

There was a glinting smirk and brown-red eyes shown dangerously, almost tauntingly. The person leant down even further so their noses were touching. She clenched her teeth harder, glaring challengingly into her opponent’s eyes. She kept her eyes open as the man pushed down into her skin and slid the blade across her throat. She winced, gasping for breath but finding only blood. She smirked, blood staining her lips and teeth. Her eyes glazed over slightly and fluttered shut, unable to stand the white light that soon enough turned black.

She gasped and sat up, looking around wildly, trying to remember where she was. She touched her throat lightly and smirked. That was the fifth dream that week she had about her dying. Strange thing was, it was always by blade but never the same person. In a previous dream it had been a woman with a katana that had a red, gold, and black looking handle, unlike her own night black handled one.

She closed her eyes, remembering how bright and beautiful her splattered blood looked in the air. She opened them, feeling invincible. By this point, she was not afraid of death, only of pain. There’s a huge difference. Pain can be healed but causes so much more torture than death. Death is quick and happy while pain is what makes it horrid. Even afterwards, the pain that the family feels is what makes them cry for their loved-one. She smiled, her sharp teeth glinting in the dimmed light.

She looked at the clock beside her and chuckled. It was five in the morning. The registration started at nine and the actual tournament started at ten. She shrugged and decided to get up. The blonde walked down the silent halls, peeking slightly in Shizuo’s room to see if he was there. She smiled at how cute he looked when he was sleeping. He snored violently and she jumped back a pace, chuckling silently.

Akira walked swiftly and silently to the darkened kitchen. She looked around, her eyes already adjusted to the dark. She went to the fridge and looked over the pictures. They were mainly of Shizuo and some boy with dark hair and figured it was his brother. “Wait a minute,” she murmured, suddenly recognizing the boy, “Isn’t he the famous actor, Kasuka?”

She stared in awe at the two when they were younger and Shizuo still had brown hair. They were so cute. The blonde looked at the pictures happily, curiously. “So cute,” she murmured to herself, hoping that Shizuo was still asleep.

Her eyes rested on a note on the fridge, apparently written to her. “Akira-san,” she read aloud, “Eat what you want, but drink some milk for me, okay? Shizuo.”

She smiled and opened the fridge. “How sweet,” she murmured to herself, narrowing her eyes against the sudden light of the fridge.

Her blue eyes darted from item to item and rested on a small milk bottle. There was a whole stash of milk and she couldn’t help but giggle. He obviously loved milk for some reason. She took a small bottle, not wanting to make a huge dent in his supply. She closed the fridge and quickly drank up. She sighed happily when she finished and placed it in the trash without making too much noise.

Akira found a pad of sticky notes with a pen beside it and smiled, assuming that was what he used to right to note. She quickly clicked the pen and wrote swiftly, drawing a small face on the corner of the note. “Thank you, Shizuo-san,” she read the note to herself as she placed it on the fridge, “I don’t know if I’ll be back by the time you wake up or if you’d even be home, but I’ll see you later, okay? Akira.”

She smiled and dragged her hand away from it slowly. She quickly went back to her room and closed the door before she opened her bag. On the very top was a Karate uniform and belt. She took it away, revealing a katana with a black hilt and a shirt.

She changed shirts quickly, putting on the black tank top with a golden tiger on the back. Akira then took out a smaller bag with her red fighting gear in it and placed her uniform into it. The blonde didn’t bother grabbing her jacket, knowing running would make her warmer.

Akira quickly took the bag and sword in hand, fastening the sword onto her back and carrying the pack. “Bye, Shizuo-san,” she murmured as she stopped by his door.

The blonde’s eyes glinted in the dim light. She ran quickly towards the door, her steps silent and soft. She quickly opened and shut the door behind her, leaving her adopted home. She ran swiftly through the silent streets of Ikebukuro, looking for the large building that was to host the tournament. She found it quickly and ran swiftly towards it, keeping at a steady pace.

A gasp gripped her throat and Akira stopped suddenly. A sense she was being watched gripped her soul and made her uneasy. She narrowed her eyes and looked up at a neighboring building, thinking they were coming from somewhere high up there. She clenched her teeth and continued running, trying to run faster than she had been to get away from the curious eyes.

The blonde finally made it to the door and, without even slowing down, managed to open the doors and get inside in one fluent motion. She stopped abruptly and looked around, feeling the eyes leave her back when she was through the door. She looked around, hearing the roar of a cheering crowd. She knew it was close to nine and she was ready to register.

She got into line, looking around at who she was going to compete against. There were some similar faces, none of them familiar. That helped a little; the less people she knew, the less probability she was going to ease up on them. She wanted that shiny first place trophy to take home as much as she wanted to take home Len Kagamine. Akira chuckled at the thought. Oh, how awesome that would be.

The blonde took another look around, analyzing how everyone acted. Usually this affected how they fought. Usually. Hopefully, it didn’t apply to her. Her blue eyes continued to scan the room, noticing the line was beginning to move. The blue orbs went to her watch and a smile was placed on her lips. They were probably letting in competitors early. This didn’t bug her; in fact, it pleased her.

Akira stepped casually as the line moved slowly. “Hello, Miss,” a voice made her stop sooner then she hoped.

The blonde turned around and looked at a somewhat mysterious man with reddish brown eyes and an obvious smirk. She didn’t have to look into his eyes to know he was the type that had pleasure with other’s pain. He seemed like the tricky type, obviously not trustable. Just by his smirk she could tell he was all this and a little more. Possibly a sociopath. Maybe a psychopath. Either way, he could not under any circumstances be trusted.

Yet, she felt like she had to trust him. There was something about him that tore her into two different sides: trusting and untrusting. Maybe it was her way of knowing she had to get _him_ to trust _her_ , but keep her guard up. Once she let that wall down, he would infiltrate immediately and get into her mind.

Her thoughts took only a heartbeat. She put on an easy fake smile and asked simply, “Yes?”

His smirk grew and his eyes had some kind of mischievous shine in it that almost made her shudder, but she suppressed it. “Are you an observer in this competition? I wouldn’t guess a girl like you’d be interested into such vulgar activities such as this,” the dark haired man suggested.

“And you are?” she laughed back, using what he said to her own advantage, a skill she picked up a while ago doing the very sport, actually.

“Ah,” the man said in his airy yet devilish voice, “So you’re pretty and smart!”

This got a small blush out of her but she only smirked back, angling her head so she mimicked him. They stared at each other for a moment in the same position. Then the line began to move. “You’ve yet to tell me your name,” she said, turning her back to him but still looking at him over her shoulder.

He had a cute face, yet his features made it mischievous. Her expression softened, though the steal wall that protected her remained up and strong as ever. He  His hands jammed into his pockets. “I’m Orihara. Orihara, Izaya,” he said finally, “And you’d be?”

She smirked at him, walking forward a couple steps with her bag in both hands and her sword still firm on her back. “The name’s Akira,” she said joyfully. She turned to him and walked backwards a couple paces before continuing. “And I’m a competitor, if you haven’t already noticed.”

The blonde turned as she stopped by the table at the front of the line. She quickly gave him the right amount of cash needed to compete and registered. Then she left the table and walked backwards as she entered the door to the large building. “And I’m going to win,” she murmured dangerously, her eyes glinting, to the man.

Before she turned back around, she noticed he was smirking, thinking. She smirked and ran quickly to the nearest bathroom to change into her uniform. Before she got into the room, she noticed how many different uniforms there were from so many different countries. She was so excited to represent her own country, her own school. She was definitely going to win.

Quickly, she went into the girls bathroom and found an empty stall. Quickly, she stepped into the stall and locked the door, putting down her bag on top of the clean toilet. With a swift flick of the wrist, she unzipped the bag and pulled out her gi. She took off her pants and pulled on her white bottoms, placing the rim over the bottom of her shirt and loosening it a little. Akira rested the sword on a hook that sat on the door. Then she pulled on the white top and tied it quickly, tying the green belt around it after.

She fastened the sword onto her belt and grabbed her bag of gear, walking out of the bathroom with her pants in the bag. The blonde made her way back to the wide open area where she’d be competing. “Well, well, well,” a faintly familiar voice sounded behind her, “Fancy meeting you again.”

Akira stiffened but turned around with a smile on her face to see the man who’d been talking to her in line: Izaya. “Is it such a coincidence?” she asked casually, “You were right behind me, so generally you’d be able to know where I was going.”

He laughed an icy laugh, making her skin crawl slightly. “That’s true,” he said, “I fully could have. But wouldn’t you get lost in such a crowd?”

She smirked as he smirked and shrugged. “I am one of the few here with blonde hair and a sword,” she observed.

He laughed again and she breathed a small chuckle. She began walking towards an empty spot that looked like it’d be good to place her bag while she was competing and waiting. The blonde realized he was following her but didn’t make a move to stop him. “You here to watch someone you know compete?” she asked casually, hoping he was and he would go off to find them.

Alas, he shook his head, ruffling his black hair even more. Akira sighed inwardly. “Well,” Izaya hesitated to say, making her heart sore for a moment in gracious hope, “I guess I know someone here.”

Then she realized what he was getting at and her heart sank into a black swamp of regret. She stopped in the corner and set down her bag before stretching her deltoids. The blonde pulled her arm across her neck and held it there for a minute, feeling the slight stretch in her shoulder. “Do you mind?” the black haired man asked, smirking as he pointed to the seat beside her area.

A small smile came to her lips and her eyes darkened for a moment. “You’ve been doing whatever you want,” she shrugged, “So why start asking now?”

He chuckled and sat down. “Good point,” he laughed, sending a strange chill down her spine and back up.

She continued stretching, doing a few kicks just to see how high she could get. Her foot reached above her head and she quickly snapped it back, landing in a steady fighting stance. The blonde repeated the process with her other leg. When both legs were fully stretched, she did a few punches in the air, bouncing back and forth in her fighting stance. When she felt like that was getting old, she ducked down and did a quick sweep to her invisible opponent’s feet. Then she quickly jumped back to her feet and did a few more punches, adding in a few kicks.

Akira wasn’t the only one who was practicing or stretching, though it did feel like it with a few eyes on her back. She knew one pair of them was Izaya. She did her best to tune them out. To tune it all out. When nothing worked, she stopped and knelt down by her bag, quickly taking out her iPod. She put of the large headphones and turned the music player on. She didn’t know what music to play so she just shuffled it.

She skipped happy song after happy song, bopping her head in different beats as songs passed. She stopped on the song she thought sounded faintly familiar. She looked at the title and the artist, a smirk growing of her lips. It was Me Against the World by Simple Plan.

The blonde tapped her foot to the bangs that rose from the beginning music, waiting for the lyrics with her eyes closed. She like the speedy version better, but this one was good, too. Her blue eyes closed, she found herself in a black world that she claimed as her mind. As the words began slowly, she widened her stance so she was ready. With the words “I’m a nightmare” she took out her shining sword and drew back into a front stance. She listened to the song, just working on her stances and striking randomly to the beat, knowing she was practically perfect at her kata. As she moved, the blonde hummed to the song, slicing invisible enemies. In her mind, however, the song was a theme for a fight scene in an anime movie, starring her as the epic ninja warrior surrounded by evil shadow warriors created by the nine tailed fox demon Kitsune.

As the song finished, she slashed her last victim. Then she took her blade in between her fingers and slid them down the sharp metal, whipping off all the blood. When Akira took her fingers away from the blade, blood splattered a clean place on the forest floor, staining it red. She then took her blade and slide it down back into the sheath, causing her blade to whisper. The song finished and she drew back into her ready stance. When she reopened her eyes the world around her was back.

Akira had forgotten what was going on and it took her a minute to remember. A clapping was sounding behind her. The blonde turned sharply to find Izaya clapping slowly for her. She rolled her eyes and took away her headphones, turning off the music. She set her iPod in her bag and listened as the tournament was called to an order.

And so it began.

The long hours went by quickly. Akira did her Katana kata and her open hand kata, winning first place in each. In both, her mind went blank and she was fighting invisible enemies. Though, when they were over, she remembered none of it. That always happened. She would go totally blank and let her body take control, returning only after it was all over and she was backing out of the ring.

When she walked back to her space, Izaya was clapping slowly. “Amazing,” he said in an annoying voice, “Just amazing.”

She rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help but love his voice, no matter how annoying it was. And it was obvious he did to by the way he kept talking. She decided to front him out on it. “You love your own voice, don’t you?” she laughed.

“I’m serious!” he said, “It was just amazing the way you moved and how high you kicked. The way you performed, just amazing. Like you were taking down a whole army.”

She rolled her eyes again, chuckling quietly. She did love the comments, but didn’t care for them if they were from someone so untrustworthy. Akira looked over at the rings where people were still performing their own kata. She smirked, her eyes dark with a hidden sorrow. “That doesn’t matter,” she murmured, gripping the medals that hung around her neck, “All that does is if I win my fights and get that trophy.”

She stared at the shiny blue, red, and purple trophies, wanting the blue first place one. She lost herself in thinking about the fights. Akira didn’t even notice the man was staring at her again. “I have to,” she murmured to herself, “Or I won’t be able to live with myself. I represent my Dojo with great honor, but it’ll be nothing but shattered pieces of glass if I can’t show the power of the Golden Tiger.” She let out a short breath, smiling with her eyes closed. “Golden Tiger? Maybe the Dojo,” she murmured, rethinking her last comment. The world around her became black once more and she was once again alone in her thoughts, even with her eyes open. “But me,” she continued slowly, “No. More like a shadow of a fox…” 

She closed her eyes once more, loosing herself in the shadows of her thoughts. She saw a Kitsune with blue smoke for eyes stalking the small light that she sat in. Then she realized; the fox was her. Akira breathed, a small smirk plastered on her sad face.

“And why would that be?” a voice sliced through her shadowy vision, bringing her back to the sad reality that was hers.

Akira had let her guard down.

The steel wall had lowered just slightly, but enough for the poison to seek through. And she knew it. Quickly, she threw the shield back up, but it was already too late. The purple-green poison that had seeped through was now floating in her air. Not enough to kill, but enough to get to her.

 “Oh no reason,” she dodged, “Just that I’m more of a fox than a tiger, if you ask me.” She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head and wondering how far she let her guard slip.

He smirked, looking at her with a strange glint to his eyes. “You saying you’re foxy?” he asked, his voice smooth and sly.

She blushed slightly and shook her head. “Of course not!” she hissed, punching his leg with moderate strength, “And you know that, baka!”

He laughed, rubbing his leg. “Ow,” he whined pathetically, “That hurt, Akira-chan-!”

She punched him again, softer but not by much. “Shut up!” she laughed.

The two laughed for a moment. Then they stared at each other for a moment. She hadn’t realized she was resting her head and arms on his lap. He twirled her hair with one finger and she suddenly realized. Quickly, she snapped herself back, releasing her hair from his loose grip. He smiled at her with some warmth, though all she could feel from it was a cold sensation. She plopped down onto the ground, crossing her legs as she sat. She took out her iPod, knowing she had a few minutes before it was time to fight. While she listened to the next song that popped up—Hero by Skillet—she began putting on her gear as was required from the tournament.

She placed her helmet loosely on the top of her head. Just enough so it wouldn’t fall off. She quickly put the bloody red foot pads on first before sliding on her gloves. She clenched her gloved fist and bit down on her mouth piece like it was someone’s throat. She took her helmet off and held it in between her body and her knees, which were up  protectively. She chewed on the blue mouth piece that was only half in her mouth.

Akira’s heart pounded slightly as she began thinking the horrible way she usually did. She drifted into a small fantasy about the black haired man getting down in front of her and starting biting the end of the plastic blue guard in her mouth, looking at her seductively. In her fantasy, she smiled and tugged a bit, laughing through her full mouth. He chuckled and pulled back slightly. But, the blonde pulled back a little too hard and she fell backwards, bringing him on top of her. The mouth piece had left her mouth and an inch of space was left between her and Izaya. She let him lean in. Their lips brushed and…

The blonde’s eyes went wide when she snapped out of her daydream. She face-palmed, dragging her hands down her face angrily, looking through her fingers. She picked up her mouth piece, which had fallen onto her lap, and put it back into her mouth. She chewed on it anxiously, waiting with her stomach in knots.

Finally, it was time.

After a few minutes of organizing, they finally got everyone ready to fight. She was the first fighter of about ten. Quickly, she got in and scored, winning her first few fights. When she sat down, she studied each fighter, analyzing each woman’s movements and what techniques they liked, knowing very well she was personally a fan of going high then low and possibly high again along with kicking.

After about fifteen minutes of fighting, it finally came down to the last fight. Akira knew very well that she could forfeit this fight and settle for the second place trophy. But she was too stubborn. She took the time to look into her opponent’s eyes, seeing how they worked, why they wanted to win.

Akira gasped inwardly. There was too much sorrow in the deep brown pool’s that were her opponent’s eyes. It was obvious she needed to win, and the blonde was fine with a purple trophy. She would fake a fight, letting the fierce challenger win quickly but not quickly enough for it to be suspicious.

“Go!”

Her opponent’s eyes changed to that of pure hate and anger. Startled, Akira began backing up, forgetting everything she’d been taught. The woman came at her with such fierce moves, they were hard to block. A swift kick to the face sent her flying out of the ring and into a wall.

The blonde’s head hit the wall so hard it made her bleed even though she had a helmet on. She gasped for a quick breath and let her head fall. Tears threatened to leave her eyes but she was too strong for that. She was trained not to. She kept her head low for a moment, holding her hand so it covered her eyes and nose. She lifted her head and laughed. By then, everyone had their eyes on her and she knew it. Slowly, she managed to stand up. She limped slightly back to the ring, brushing off all help that was offered.

When she got to the ring, she took off her glove, face pointed towards the ground so no one could see her eyes. She then took her hand and covered her whole face but her left eye. Akira chuckled like a maniac, lifting her head wildly so her eye was shown. She laughed even harder. Blood trickled down her hand.

It was obvious the dark eyed girl was getting even more and more scared. Akira laughed even harder yet. She looked at the judges. “So~!” she said with such fake love it was unbelievable. She laughed again. “You gonna call anything? A point? Disqualification? An _ambulance_?” She laughed again when they didn’t say anything. “Thought so….”

With one flick of the wrist, she slipped her glove back on. She ignored her throbbing head and drew back into a fighting stance. “Now,” she murmured, “Let’s get on with this.”

Everyone watched her in silence. Her eyes were dark with a pile of hate, a love for blood, and a need for death. She was going to show this bitch who exactly she was fighting. She made her head bleed, now Akira was going to take what belonged to her and kill anyone who got in the way.

The center judge looked at her, obvious concern on his face. Though for who was a mystery. “O-okay,” he murmured, preparing the two for another fight.

Akira stared at the girl, danger glinting in her eyes while he opponent trembled in fear. The judge called the fight and Akira waited calmly, confusing all. She didn’t go after the woman; no. She knew her next victim would come to her.

And she did.

Akira watched as her opponent changed emotional states and charge at her. A smirk flashed on her lips. In one, quick motion, the blonde stepped back and kicked the girl straight in the stomach as she ran at her. Not enough for her to fly back into a wall, but just enough to knock her to the ground. As soon as the brunette was on the ground, Akira was on top of her. She socked the girl hard in the stomach, scoring her obvious point. Then she stepped back, leaving the girl to get up and the judges to call the point.

Of course they did and she smirked wider. This would be a short fight. The same thing repeated itself for another time and she couldn’t help but laugh. But it was obvious the woman was pissed the third time. She came at Akira with such hate that it would’ve stunned someone normal. But not her.

The blonde tried kicking her once more, but the woman didn’t fall backwards. Instead, when the foot snapped back, the furious woman charged even further. Luckily, Akira was ready. She did a sharp ridge hand to the woman’s head and punched her stomach before her own could get hit. The blonde stood, still ready, as the woman got up slowly. It was just like the kicks. That was the last point. She smirked.

The judges called the last point and finished the match. She had won, and she didn’t care how. The blonde blinked her blue eyes and everything came back. She took off her helmet and accepted her trophy, hands bloody with her own red blood. She nodded and walked back to her spot, aware of the worried eyes judging her even though the competition was finished. She stopped, midway to her spot. Akira turned to see the poor woman walking to her own area, a purple trophy in her padded hands.

The blonde felt a sudden sting of regret. She quickly ran to the woman, slowing down when she realized she was scaring the poor girl. The blonde bowed to the woman, not looking at her at all with her eyes staring at her own feet. She straightened after a moment and put out a hand. “Thanks for a fight to remember,” she thanked the brown eyed woman.

Her opponent was shocked at first but then smiled shyly and took her hand. “Thanks for putting me back in my place,” she murmured darkly.

Akira smiled sadly. “I know you didn’t mean what you did,” she laughed uncomfortably, rubbing her injured head.

The brunette let out a sigh of relief. “It was just the way I was trained and—”

“Like I said,” Akira interrupted, “It’s okay! Seriously. I knew from the moment the look in your eyes changed. Don’t worry about it.”

The brown-eyed girl looked shocked. “G-gomen,” the woman whispered at last.

Akira nodded and turned, waving as she bolted back to her spot. She stopped midway again and looked around the room. All eyes were on her. She smirked, eyes closed and face down. She didn’t even bother. She ran back the rest of the way to her spot, her hands full, making her run awkward. She skidded to a stop before she hit the wall by her bag and set the trophy down.

The blonde put all the gear back into the bag and touched her head. She pulled away and saw fresh blood on her hands. Akira sighed and grabbed the pants from her bag as well as her iPod. She put the headphones on so they covered her ears and picked up her pants with one hand, holding the music player with her other hand.

She ran quickly, avoiding any gazes. Sad music played in her ears. Still, the blonde smirked. A tear reached her eye and she let out a short, choked breath. She let it fall, not caring who saw it. She waved happily to the older brunette as she passed her. Her steps were quick, silent.

Akira slammed open the door to the bathroom and the first open stall she saw. Quickly, she took off her belt and top so she wore only her tank top and white pants. She quickly took those off and slid on her jeans. She gathered up the white gi into a neat bundle and tucked it under her arm.

She stopped by the mirror and studied her injury for a moment. She washed away any unneeded dry blood and found the source. It wasn’t too big, but big enough for a lot of blood. Then she felt the back of her blonde head. When she looked at her hand, it was covered in blood. She sighed and rinsed it off, touching her hair again. “Jeez,” she murmured, “I wish I had another mirror in front of me so I could see it. Oh well.”

She rinsed away most of the blood and fixed her hair so that, hopefully, it’d looked like nothing every happened. Of course, there was the occasional trickle of blood that ran down her face, but otherwise it was perfect. She walked out of the bathroom with her gi at hand. Quickly, she ran through the narrow space there was to walk on, jumping and dodging people in her way. She really didn’t need anyone bugging her.

Akira realized her eyes were dark but didn’t care. Her vision grew blurry and she knew she had to get back to Shizuo’s soon.

Shizuo….

_Damn!_

She hadn’t even thought of what he would think. The blonde sighed, running swiftly back to her bag. She stuffed her gi in it as soon as she reached the black thing. She grabbed her sword and trophy after tossing her bag over her shoulder. She secured the sword on her back like she did before and held the trophy tightly. Her iPod was in her pocket, the headphones secure on her ears.

Akira was suddenly aware of Izaya’s eyes on her. She looked at him and nodded her farewells. Without waiting for him to respond, she left the black haired man and headed for the door. Suddenly, she was back in her dark world, surrounded by shadows and blurred voices.

The songs changed suddenly from “Nobody’s Home” by Avril Lavigne to “Monochrome Ward” by Len and Rin Kagamine. Her heart thumped quickly as she felt like she was the one being chased. Her breath got choked up in her throat and she couldn’t breathe for a moment. She ignored it completely and continued to run. But soon enough, everything went black and she herself began to fade from mind. It all went black and she could feel herself hit the floor. She smirked as her cheek pressed against the cold stone floor. “Kuro, kuro, kuro,” she whispered along with the song, “Here and there, it’s all black.”

Then it was, truly, all black.

It was a while of darkness before she woke up. She heard voices in the black world, faint but friendly voices. “Hang on Celty!” a voice was clear, “I think she’s waking up.”

She tightened her eyes for a moment before relaxing. She blinked a few times, getting the water out. The world before her blurred for a moment, but eventually cleared into an unfamiliar room. She blinked a few times, wondering if she was really seeing this. “What the hell….” She murmured to herself.

“See!” the voice called beside her, “She woke!”

Akira sat up quickly, only to grip her head in pain. “Kuso,” she breathed.

“Whoa,” the voice said soothingly, “Easy now. You’ve been out cold for a while now. No need to rush things.”

She sat there, dizzy for a moment. When everything was clear, she took the time to realize what the voice just said. Her blue orbs shot open wider than ever and she looked around frantically. “Kuso!” she cussed, jumping out of the bed she was in, “Kuso! I need to get back! I need to make sure he’s not mad. I need to….” She stopped and looked around again, slower this time. Then she smiled nervously at the man who sat beside the bed she was in. “Where am I exactly?” she laughed nervously.

“You’re in my house,” he said vaguely.

She stared at the man in a lab coat, suddenly nervous for her safety. There was a moment of awkward silence. “And who the hell are _you?_ ” Akira yelled at the man, who only laughed.

There was a swift tapping noise and the blonde turned around to see a woman, or what she thought was a woman, in a black rider outfit with a cat eared helmet on. The woman was typing on a cell phone with such speed it was like she had been doing it forever. Akira watched in awe at how fast the person’s fingers were moving. Then the mystery rider stopped and held out the phone for her to read. Luckily, Akira knew how to write in Japanese, too.

“Hello, there,” as the blonde read, she heard a sweet voice speak as if through the phone, “I’m sorry for all the trouble, but we found you passed out of the sidewalk by our house and how your head was bleeding.”

Akira looked over at the man for a brief second as she read the next part. “That man over there in the lab coat, yeah he’s an underground doctor so he was able to patch you up, no problem. We got all your stuff, too. It’s over by the bed over there, so don’t worry about it. Oh and congrats on your trophy!”

Akira let out a breath of a chuckle at the last part. “Thanks,” she murmured as the woman pulled back the phone and began typing again.

The person put the phone out in front of her for the blonde to read again. “Oh, and I’m Celty, by the way,” she read silently, still hearing the soft voice, “And that guy over there’s Shinra.”

“Oh, hi Celty,” Akira laughed out nervously, “I’m Akira. And I should be sorry for the trouble. I seem to be a bother to everyone lately….” She trailed off, suddenly remembering Shizuo.

Her eyes grew wide again and she breathed out the man’s name. “Kuso,” she hissed to herself, “I can’t believe I forgot.” She went over by the bed and grabbed her stuff. “Thanks again but I really should be going!”

When she looked back at Celty, she noticed that the rider was holding out her phone. “He’s here,” it read.

The blonde felt her heart sink and lost her breath. “H-he’s here?” she stuttered, “Why?”

She hadn’t expected him to be there and, frankly, she didn’t want him to. She had already been a burden to him and didn’t want him to worry because she made a stupid mistake in a tournament. Maybe he was coming to give her all her stuff back, to kick her out. The blonde gasped inwardly.

She was suddenly aware of Celty’s tapping. The helmeted woman held out the phone for the blonde to read. “He’s a friend of ours. He actually insisted on coming to see you himself,” the phone read, “Apparently he was looking for you.”

She blushed. Then her thoughts seem to wander. She thought about how the woman never talked, how she kept her helmet on at all times. Celty was almost inhuman. Then it hit the blonde like the woman she had fought during her vacation. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t know what day it was. “I have two questions,” she said bluntly.

Celty tapped quickly on the PDA and flashed it at her. “Shoot” was what it read.

Akira nodded. “First of all, what day is it?” she asked quietly. Oh, how she hated being so dependent on others. Maybe that’s why she always felt like she had to thank people so much.

“It’s Wednesday,” Shinra offered, “You were out cold for the night so we let you stay here.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “Damn,” she cussed quietly before asking her second question louder, “Second is for Celty. Are you a Dullahan?”

Akira could tell her question took the helmeted woman by surprise. But, still, the helmet bobbed in a nod. Celty reached up and took the helmet off her neck, revealing only shadows where her head should be. The blonde’s heart beat in her ears in fear, but still she smiled. “Amazing,” she whispered in awe.

“I guess Celty really trusts you,” Shinra told her, placing a hand on her shoulder from behind.

Akira smirked, crossing her arms and allowing him to keep his hand on her. “Well, that’s good,” she murmured, “Because I trusted her from the start.”

She saw the Dullahan’s shoulders move as if she was laughing. Then the blonde realized her mistake, although it was too late. “Hey!” came the hurt whine from the man behind her.

Akira chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. “Sorry,” she chuckled, “I just automatically trusted her for some reason and I haven’t had a chance to really get a full judgment about you.”

As she said that, she turned and looked into his eyes. Akira cocked her head slightly, seeing love for the Dullahan first yet betrayal behind that love. Deeper into his eyes there was fear but happiness. He seemed almost naïve, yet fully aware of everything.

The blonde smirked, wondering if she should trust him. “It’ll take me a while to fully trust him,” she decided, turning back to Celty.

“Hey!” his voice was high pitched and defensive.

Akira laughed silently and she knew Celty was laughing, too. When the blonde looked past the headless woman, she stopped laughing almost immediately. The blonde that had let her stay with him was standing in the doorway. His face was unreadable. Her heart thumped and she avoided his gaze, feeling hot with embarrassment. “Shizuo-san,” she murmured, looking at the ground.

She could hear his steps as he walked casually over to her. She didn’t like not being able to not read his thoughts or emotions. She hated feeling so powerless and fragile, almost like a crystal sculpture. Her breath was shaking with nervousness. “I-I,” she began, not able to even finish.

“Look at me,” his voice was even and that scared her more than anything.

She looked up at him and her eyes widened as she stared into his deep, light brown pools. She felt almost dazed, feeling herself rock back and forth slightly. His eyes were full of worry and concern, not furry or any other form of madness. He seemed genuinely concerned.

She felt her stomach flipped sadly. She _hated_ it when people cared about her. It meant she was hurting them just slightly and she never liked that. The blonde shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Sometimes she hated her wandering mind.

Her eyes grew even wider when she felt him wrap an arm around her reassuringly. She could tell he wasn’t so used to doing something like that and couldn’t help but smile. Akira could feel the tears being forced to her eyes but held them back. She wouldn’t let anyone see her at a weak moment. Her breath got caught in her throat and she breathed it out as a chuckle. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, going forward and burying her face in his chest instinctively.

She could tell he was shocked at first but that only made her smile. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and rub her back gently. Akira could really trust him and didn’t care who tried to turn her against him. She was loyal to him now, for some unknown reason that even she didn’t quite understand.

The blonde remembered that they weren’t alone and loosened her grip, pulling back slightly only to be pushed back towards him. She tried one more time but then gave in, loosely keeping her arms on his back and her head under his chin, smiling into his chest.

Finally, he loosened up and she took the chance to pull away. She gave him a huge grin and chuckled a bit, a small blush hinted on her face. He flashed a small smile but looked away, blushing slightly as well.

There was a small, almost awkward silence. Quick tapping broke it and all eyes went to Celty as she showed everyone what was written on the electronic device. “So, Akira,” it read, “What happened to you anyway?”

“Oh!” the blonde laughed, suddenly remembering what hell she’d been through, “It actually happened earning that trophy, to tell the truth.”

She glanced over at the large blue trophy with a little person kicking. She stared at it for a moment, relieving what happened, then turned back to the questioning eyes.

“That trophy was for fighting,” she explained, “And the fight for that trophy was a true challenge. Every time the judges called for us to fight, the look in her eyes changed from innocent and scared to vengeful and pissed.” She laughed, remembering how surprised she was at first. “She came at me,” she continued in a murmur, “For the first time like that. I was planning on throwing the fight; I had gotten what I came for and I didn’t need to waste more energy. But when the look in her eyes changed, I was confused. I’ll admit I didn’t expect something like that to happen so quickly. Then she came at me with such hard punches and kicks, they were near impossible to block. Her foot connected with my face and I went flying. It didn’t help that I was already off balance to begin with. Still….”

She let there be a moment of silence so she could take a breath before continuing. She sighed. “I hit the wall. The foot already made my forehead bleed but, even with padding, the wall made my head bleed in the back. It took me a minute but I came back with a vengeance and, ignoring my bloody head, got my win quickly and without making her bleed. And, yeah, I got a bloody head and won. That’s about it.”

There was a moment of silence where they just stared at her blankly. “You didn’t hurt her like she hurt you?” Shizuo asked, utterly confused, “Why?”

The blonde smiled, figuring that someone would ask. “Before there was anger in her eyes, there was also some sort of fear,” she explained, “I watched her during her other fights and I should have noticed that she shouldn’t have been afraid. That was bad on my part. Either way, she obviously didn’t mean to, so it was fine. I got my trophy and now I can stay in Ikebukuro for a while longer.”

There was quick tapping before Celty held up the phone again. “What do you mean?” the bright screen read, “You don’t live here?”

Akira chuckled nervously. “I’m only here for a month or so,” she explained, “After that I’m back on a plane for America.”

Shizuo and Celty appeared a little sad, but Shinra nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe you can be allowed to stay here for longer,” he muttered thoughtfully to himself.

The blonde let out a soft chuckle. “You sound just like Yuko-chan,” she whispered so only she could hear.

There was an awkward moment of silence. A vibrating sound broke the silence and Celty put the phone up where her head should be. Her neck moved as if in a nod and she brought her phone down and sent her fingers flying over the keyboard. “Sorry, guys,” the screen read, “I have to go. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Akira nodded. “I should probably getting out of your hair anyway,” she excused herself as well, “Still got stuff to do, you know?”

The girls nodded at each other and began walking their separate ways while the men just glanced at each other. Akira walked over to her bag and grabbed her stuff, tossing the bag roughly over her shoulder and placing her iPod in her pocket with the headphones around her neck. She grabbed her trophy and met up with Celty as the Dullahan got on her motorcycle. The blonde admired the shadowy ride in awe, understanding that it was her horse from the start.

Celty put the helmet on her neck and tapped quickly on her PDA. She showed it to the blonde, who read it swiftly. “I’d take you home, but I think Shizuo will probably be doing that.”

The blonde nodded. “Thanks,” she smiled at the headless woman, “For everything.”

Celty nodded and started up her motorcycle. Akira could hear it whine like a horse and chuckled as the Dullahan rode away silently. She turned to look behind her, finding only Shizuo. He took the bag from her hand and put it over his shoulder. “Hey!” she protested.

She saw a smile flash on his face for a brief moment as he looked at her. “You still need to rest at least a little,” he muttered matter-of-factly, “So it’s either this or I carry _you_ over my shoulder.”

Akira puffed out her cheeks but nodded. “Fine,” she murmured.

He nodded and took the trophy for her, leaving her with her music and her music only. She suppressed a sigh and followed him out of the apartment. “Thanks a bunch, Shinra!” she called back before she exited the door.

The blonde followed the brown-eyed man as he walked quickly down the street. She had problems keeping up with how fast he was walking. She got sick of lagging behind and ran a few paces up so she was beside him. She walked at his pace beside him, keeping in step with the man.

The silence was awkward and it bothered her, so she got ready to put her headphones over her ears to at least create some noise for her to enjoy. “What other business must you do before you have to leave?” Shizuo’s voice stopped her.

“Oh,” she murmured, surprised he had asked, “I have tickets to go to the Anime convention here, and for today all I really have to do is make sure my cosplay is good enough to show off here in Ikebukuro. It starts tomorrow, so I really need to finish it up.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “So you’re going to cosplay?” he asked casually, and she was shocked her understood that.

Nonetheless, Akira nodded happily. “It’ll be my first, so I’m a little nervous, but so excited.”

He nodded, keeping the conversation going. “Who are you going as?” he asked casually.

She knew the question was going to pop up and she was ready. “Vocaloid2, Rin Kagamine!” She said, a sparkle in her eyes.

He gazed at her confused and she knew he was only nodding to pretend like he knew who that was. She sighed and decided to explain. “The second Vocaloid of the second addition. She’s the female avatar for the voice synthesizer, but is the second most famous Vocaloid next to Hatsune Miku, the first of the second addition,” she tried. It was harder than she thought to explain it.

But, it seemed to work, because he nodded a little more understandingly. She smiled at how he tried to understand and appreciated it. They walked the rest of the way in silence, which didn’t bother her as much. They reached the house quickly and he let her go in first. She took the bag and trophy from him and set them in her room. Then she went to her first bag and dug through clothes until she found her cosplay outfit, headphones and shoes. She took them out and lay them on the bed. When she got the last piece of her outfit, she looked it over.

She took out her phone and looked at a picture of the character. Akira smiled happily. “All I need to do now,” she murmured, “Is make sure it fits alright.”

She closed the door to the room and quickly changed shirts. Then she changed her pants into the shorts and stepped in front of the mirror by the wall. Both articles of clothing fit well, enough to where she looked more and more like the Vocaloid. Her heart beat excitedly. She proceeded to put of the headphones with the bow on top and the arm and leg warmers. She finished up with the shoes and looked herself over once more. She fixed her hair and looked at herself again.

Akira was Rin Kagamine.

The blonde did a jump for joy and cheered happily. “Now,” she murmured, clearing her throat, “Let’s see how much I sound like her.”

She turned her iPod to one of her favorite Kagamine songs: “Don’t Mylist Me”!

She nodded her head to the beginning of the song, pretending she had a microphone stand in hand. She pretended to bring it in front of her mouth and sang along with the fourth line. “Nande antatachi ga yorokobu no?” she asked, meaning “What are you punks so happy about?”

She flashed a smirk for a moment, getting back into the music. “Onegai dakara, mairisu shinaide, toriaezu ippatsu, to ka nanna no, yamete!” she sang along to the chorus, giving the exact facial expression as she figured Rin would. It was a pained, sad expression.

Akira sang along with the rest of the song in the same pained expression and matching the voice as much as possible. She blushed as she sang, “Karada ga atsuku naridashita~!”

When she finished the song she quickly went over and paused the iPod before it could play another song. She turned around and saw Shizuo standing in the doorway, blushing slightly. She smiled at him. “This,” she laughed like a kid, “is Rin Kagamine.”

He nodded thoughtfully. They looked at each other for a moment and she pushed him out of the room so she could change. Quickly, she got out of her cosplay and set it on the dresser, nice and neat for the next day. She changed into her jeans and a different, not sweaty t-shirt.

When the blonde walked out she saw Shizuo on a couch watching T.V. He looked at her as if he was waiting for her. She smiled at him kindly and walked over to sit beside him. He scooted over a bit to give her more room, or more of trying to keep his distance. She chuckled on the inside at this.

She let him have his space and looked at the T.V. Shizuo’s brother was on, acting as a vampire ninja in his debut movie. “I love this movie,” she said casually, adjusting herself to get a better view.

There was a small silence in which she just watched the movie. “That’s my brother,” Shizuo murmured after a little while, “The vampire ninja guy.”

Akira nodded. “I know,” she said like it was nothing.

She could feel his confused eyes on her and she chuckled. “I saw your pictures on the fridge,” she explained.

He still gazed at her with confusion in his eyes. She just shrugged and looked back at the movie. They watched the rest of the movie in silence. As the ending credits began to play, Akira got up and stretched.

She began for the door, looking back over her shoulder. “You just going to stay here?” she asked casually.

He looked at her, a small hint of fear in his eyes. “I might,” he murmured, “But you should really stay here.”

She pouted out her lip slightly. “Why?” she murmured, looking away.

He sighed and walked up to her, poking her forehead. “You know why,” he said in a protective tone, “You need your rest. You can’t just go out after you were unconscious.”

She sighed. “Come on!” she whined, “You can come out with me and make sure I don’t overdo it! I’ll be out all day tomorrow any—”

“More the reason to stay here and rest,” he pointed out.

Akira turned to the door. “I don’t care!” she decided, “I’m going to go check out Ikebukuro! Whether it’s good for me or not.”

She turned the door knob and opened the door wide open, looking out at the world before her. She stood there a moment, facing the stone world ahead of her. With a snap of the wrist, she closed the door. She turned on her heels and walked to the room where her stuff was. “After I get my iPod,” she murmured.

She saw Shizuo smile just slightly out the corner of her eyes. Quickly, she ran to the room and grabbed the music player.  The blonde strolled back with a defiant look on her face. Facing the door, she threw it open. “Now!” she stated defiantly.

She walked out calmly, putting her headphones over her ears. Akira looked both ways before choosing a path. The blonde walked casually, hands in her pockets, down the streets. She could tell Shizuo was behind her and smiled to herself. There was a small moment of silence; her iPod wasn’t playing. “Are we going the right way?” she asked over her shoulder rather lamely.

Akira could tell he chuckled as he confirmed her guess. She nodded and turned on the iPod, shuffling it for a random song. “I Don’t Care” by Apocalyptica. She smirked, closing her eyes and getting into the song. When she reopened her eyes, the world before her had a grey shadow over it. Everything was quiet except for the song that played in her ears.

The blonde could tell her eyes were dark and clouded. She liked it that way. To her, the world was but black and white, even in what was supposed to be daylight. She couldn’t help but smirk. She blinked again as the song made its way to the second of silence and reopened her blue eyes when the music blasted back into her ears.

For some reason, she felt the urge to run. She slowed down for a second before quickly picking up the pace again, running calmly through the streets of Ikebukuro. People rushed passed as she pushed forward. She turned quickly into an alley and ran down, knowing it was getting narrow. Before it got to small, she braced herself and jumped up onto a dumpster and then onto the walls. She jumped from wall to wall two times before reaching the top.

She walked so she was facing the street before her again. The gray world before her was quick and silent. A toothy grin plastered itself on her face and she closed her eyes. The song ended and the sounds of the city came back to her.

A laugh escaped her lips when she opened her eyes and the world had color again. She looked up to see the sun shining brightly in-between dark clouds. “Akira-san!” she heard a faintly familiar voice.

The blonde looked down to see Shizuo yelling up at her. She smiled childishly, sitting down on the roof. “Hi, Shizuo-san~!” she called from the roof, waving quickly.

She could tell he gritted his teeth slightly. “Get down from there!” came his harsh demand.

Giggling, the girl leaned forward just slightly. The next song played in her ears. “Perfect Scene” by Mercy Mercedes soothed her ears, a great contrast from the last song. She stood up to jump down but quickly sat down. She giggled again. “I think I’m stuck!” she called out, her voice light and non-caring.

She could see the shock and confusion of Shizuo’s face and giggled again. The blonde lay down on her back and looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were passing swiftly, even without dotting the ground with rain. Her lip pouted out in disappointment.

“Come on!” Shizuo reminded her what was going on.

She looked over the side of the roof at him. Sighing, she stood up and looked down at him, hands on her hips. “What do you expect me to do?” she countered, “Jump? I don’t see a door to the inside!”

A sigh could be faintly heard from below. Akira watched as Shizuo stepped forward a few steps then back a little. He held out his arms and looked at her. “Fine,” he said, “Jump! I’ll catch you.”

Akira cocked her head a little, not expecting him to do that. She giggled a little, cautiously poking the tip of the building with her foot. She nodded her blonde head and crouched low. She jumped up into the air so she would fall off the building.

The air rushed around her and she could hear her heart in her ears. She flashed her teeth in a wide grin as she fell face first to the ground. Arms outstretched, she watched as the world rushed past her. All her senses told her to scream as loud as she could, so she obeyed. “Cha~!” she yelled happily as she plummeted to the ground beneath her.

The longer she fell, the faster she went. She brought her arms in across her chest and quickly bunched up into a ball. Not even a second after, she flipped over so she was falling feet first and stretched out her body and arms.

It felt like forever, but she finally landed a little in front of Shizuo. She stuck the landing on her feet and bunched down so she wouldn’t fall. The blonde waited for her balance to be restored before stretching back up and tossing up her arms. “And she sticks the landing!” she laughed.

The man before her put down his arms slowly, looking at her with a confusion written all over his face. It was soon replaced by anger. “You could’ve died!” he growled at her, “That was a stupid move. You shouldn’t have gotten up there in the first place, especially in your condition!”

She giggled and he stopped. “You weren’t even close to catching me,” she retorted with an amused tone, “So really it would’ve been your fault!”

He blinked once or twice before his expression turned into that of worry. “You okay?” he asked casually, staring at her with what was supposed to be a not amused expression, “Did you hurt yourself?”

She shrugged and walked a few steps, testing out her feet and legs. Stretching her arms above her head, she turned back and shook her head. He let out a small sigh of relief. “Good,” he murmured under his breath, “Don’t do that to me again, okay?”

She giggled again but nodded quickly. “Understood,” she chuckled.

The two walked down the sidewalk side by side. Akira put her hands in her pockets as the song changed. “When I’m Gone” by 3 Doors Down changed her mood yet again. She nodded her head calmly to the sounds of her music. “Sometimes,” she sighed, forgetting she was walking beside someone.

“Sometimes, what?” Shizuo woke her up from her daydream.

“Huh? Oh,” she was surprised at first but then relaxed, “It was nothing. Just thinking aloud, I guess.”

He nodded and didn’t push further. Part of her wanted him to continue, but the other half didn’t really care. They walked the streets in silence for a while. Her stomach growled as they passed the Russian Sushi place. “Oh,” the black man called out to her, making her turn, “You’re hungry, yes? Come. Eat Russia Sushi! It no make you sick. It’s good!”

She smiled at the huge man, stopping in front of him. “I don’t know,” she cooed, “I’m quiet the picky eater!”

Shizuo stopped beside her, looking at the man. “Hey, Simon,” he greeted the bigger man.

“Oh, Shizuo!” the man named Simon greeted, “You come eat Sushi? I give you big discount!”

Akira looked up at Shizuo, playfulness in her eyes. She tilted her head questioningly. He sighed and pushed her gently towards the strange restaurant. “Come on,” he sighed, “If you want to, we will.”

“Oh, so she’s your girlfriend, no?” Simon smiled.

“No,” the two blondes said at the same time, their voices containing different emotions.

Akira heard Simon chuckle from behind them and smiled as she walked up to the door. She opened it and walked in first.

A few minutes later they were seated at a booth in a back corner, a candle in the middle. The young girl blushed slightly as she noticed they weren’t on any other tables. Shizuo seemed annoyed at that fact. “Simon,” he murmured under his breath, “What is he trying to do?”

The blonde girl smiled, though. “He’s only doing what he thinks he should,” she tried to convince herself as well as him.

Shizuo looked at her with his brown eyes and she grew suddenly nervous. But he only smiled and looked away again. It was all silent and Akira didn’t want to put her headphones back over her ears. Instead, she listened for others. “Hey,” she heard a girl’s voice, “Isn’t that Shizuo Heiwajima?”

“Yeah!” came another female voice, “Is he on like a date or something?”

“No way,” the first voice brushed away the idea, “He’s the type that can’t get a girl to stop fearing him enough to love him!”

Akira rolled her eyes at the thought and tried to listen to something else. “Shizuo’s with a girl?” another voice asked in awe behind them, “How is that even possible?”

She tuned them out as well. But it didn’t work out. Anything she tried to listen to was about her and the blonde across from her. She sighed and looked at him. He was tapping his finger quickly on the table, obviously getting annoyed as well. She grinned sadly.

People were idiots. He wasn’t so bad when you got to know him. Then again, how well did she know him? She began to wonder what the blonde in front of her thought about. He seemed cool and strong, obviously strong enough to be feared by others. She watched as he looked at her, a small tint of red crossing his face. He looked at her with wide eyes, obviously confused and embarrassed.

She just kept smiling at him, letting her mind wander. He eventually relaxed and stared at her with the same curiosity, though he didn’t smile. The voices around her grew so they were heard above her thoughts. “Oh look!” she heard the first female voice, “They might kiss!”

Blushing slightly, Akira reached for a chopstick and held it tightly. She prepared to throw it, but thought better. Instead, she split the two as she saw Simon coming back with their food. He placed the unknown sushi in front of them and the blondes stared at it for a moment. “Thanks, Simon,” Akira struggled to keep her voice nice.

“Only the best for my friend and his girl friend,” he cheered as he placed their drinks on the table.

“She’s not my—” Shizuo began, annoyance clear in his voice.

“I got what he meant,” Akira chuckled nervously, stopping him mid-sentence.

He just looked at her then at his food. The large black man nodded and walked away happily. She picked up one of the strange rolls with her chopsticks and studied it before placing it in her mouth. It tasted strange, yet it wasn’t unpleasant. She chewed it quickly and swallowed, taking another piece in the two sticks. She stuck piece after piece in her mouth hungrily. Shizuo did the same a little more cautiously.

The strange food made her thirsty so she went to grab the mug. She grabbed the handle tightly then relaxed, trying not to pull back suddenly at how hot it was. She closed her eyes and sucked in the energy from the heat, making it feel cooler. She lifted it with ease and blew softly on it, cooling it down just slightly more before taking a gulp. The liquid was soothing to her throat, though it burned her tongue.

Shizuo touched his own glass and pulled back slightly before looking at her. “How can you touch that?” he asked curiously, “Isn’t your hot, too?”

She nodded. “Yeah,” she said casually, staring at her glass, “It burns.”

He looked at her as if she was on fire. “How?” he wondered aloud.

The blonde girl shrugged. “I’m stubborn, I guess,” she murmured, “I don’t wait for stuff to cool, even if it’ll burn my tongue.”

He looked at her for a moment as she took another few gulps. Then he just shrugged and blew lightly on his own drink. She finished her drink soon after she finished the sushi and relaxed, full. “Better than I thought,” she murmured to herself.

Shizuo nodded and finished up. Akira decided to listen in on conversations again, wondering if they had changed. She was dead wrong. “No wonder,” she heard the second female’s voice, “She’s weird. Of course they’d be perfect together!”

The blonde smirked. She got up after Shizuo and followed him past the girls who had been talking about them. She stopped and looked at the two, who drew back slightly at her hard gaze. “Thanks for calling me weird,” Akira laughed, “I take pride in my strangeness and love it when others notice.”

They stared at her for a moment as she walked away, obviously deeply confused. The blonde chuckled when she was out of ear shot. They walked out of the door after paying for their meals. “Thanks, Simon!” she called out to the black man.

“You’re welcome, young lady!” he called back as they exited the restaurant.

She walked out after Shizuo just before the door closed on her. She followed him casually down the sidewalk, aware of the strange looks they were receiving. The blonde ignored them all, wondering instead where they were headed. “Where are we going?” she asked him, her curiosity getting the best of her.

He looked at her and away quickly. “ _I’m_ going to work,” he muttered, “ _You’re_ going home.”

She pouted. “No fun,” she murmured, looking around curiously.

He only shrugged. “I don’t want you to get hurt while I’m working,” he said under his breath.

The girl only smiled. “What do you do for a job anyway?” she asked curiously.

He looked at her with an unreadable expression. “I’m a bodyguard,” he explained, “For this debt collector. I scare them into giving us the money.”

She looked him up and down before shrugging. “Not going to ask,” she murmured, shaking her head.

He raised an eyebrow at her for a second before sighing. “I’ll explain when I get home,” he murmured under his breath, “Until then, go home and watch T.V. or something.”

The blonde shook her head defiantly, stopping for a moment to stop the dizziness that arose. He stopped beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. She blinked a few times and looked up at him. “Go home,” he demanded quietly, “You need your rest.”

She brushed his hand away and blinked sadly. “Didn’t I tell you I’m stubborn?” she tried to laugh.

He gazed at her with worried eyes, still he said nothing. She looked into his eyes, her own sad. The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile. He touched her bandage and she twitched her eye, trying not to wince. “Go home,” he demanded.

“No,” she smiled.

“Go home,” he repeated.

“No,” she continued.

“Go home.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“I’m bored.”

“Then go home.”

“No.”

“What are you going to do?”

Smiling, she looked up at the sky and thought for a moment. “Maybe I’ll go find myself a temporary job,” she suggested.

“Why?”

“Because I need money.”

They stared at each other for another moment. Shizuo stood up straight and sighed. “Fine,” he murmured, “But don’t stay out to late. You have a phone?”

She nodded, holding up her phone. “All right,” he murmured taking her phone.

He quickly entered numbers into the phone and pulled out his phone, entering some more numbers. He handed her phone back to her and she looked at it. He had given her his number and she guessed he took hers. “This way,” he explained, seeing that she knew, “You can call me just in case you’re in trouble and I can call you in case I think you’re in trouble.”

Akira blushed slightly, but nodded. Shizuo looked at her for a moment longer than smiled sadly. Then he turned and began walking away. “Go on,” he called over his shoulder, “Go wherever you want. Just stay out of trouble!”

She smiled and jumped up excitedly before running past him. “Thanks, Shizuo-kun!” she called, not knowing the form of respect she just addressed him with.

Her feet carried her quickly to nowhere in particular. She ran quickly through the streets of Ikebukuro, only slowing down to catch her breath. She stopped by an ice-cream place and stared longingly at the frozen treats outside the store. Shaking her head, the blonde walked off, looking excitedly for one place she hoped to find.

A taller woman wearing a maids outfit stopped her by pointing a finger at her. “You there!” she cheered, “You’re perfect!”

Akira looked at her sides before looking back at the woman before her and pointing at herself. “Me?” she asked, still unsure.

The dark haired woman nodded and pulled her into the café. She let herself be dragged in front of other workers at the café, also dressed as maids but cosplaying as well. The first made let go of her wrist and she dropped to the floor, exhausted. The other maids circled her, studying her carefully. “Amazing!” said one of the maids.

“Isn’t she?” said the first one.

“Where was she?” a third asked.

“Out walking on the streets!” the first replied.

“Can she be the next?”

“I think so!”

“We still have to test her out.”

“And don’t forget our boss!”

Akira glances from maid to maid, noticing all were similar in some ways. All the outfits were the same and they all had similar hair styles. One had blue streaks in her black hair and a certain look to her. A few others were huddled together and all had the same features, as if playing triplets. The first one seemed like an average teen. She noticed that they were wearing neko ears and a tail. This was a _cosplay_ café! The blonde smiled.

The maids looked at her and she looked back in awe. “Nya!” she couldn’t help but murmur.

They all smiled and put their hands up as if they were cats. “Nya!” they cheered back at the same time.

The pulled Akira to her feet. She felt something on her head and felt it with her hands. Someone else tied something around her waist and she looked behind her to see a tail. “Nya?” she murmured curiously.

“Nya,” the first girl nodded.

The young blonde looked up at them, ignoring that they were only speaking like cats. She pawed at her fake cat ear. The maids looked at her curiously. She looked up at them and smiled widely. “So,” she started in her regular voice, “What do you need me for?”

The others looked at her in shock while the first one explained nicely. “We need a younger girl to work with us,” she explained, smiling, “Our boss wanted her to look like someone famous so it’d be easier for her to cosplay.”

Akira shocked her head just slightly. “You look like the famous Vocaloid, Kagamine Rin,” she went on, “We can work with that easily.”

The blonde smiled at the thought of looking like her idol. “I’m honored to look so much like Rin,” she smiled.

The brunette giggled and glomped her. Akira pushed her off gently, slightly shocked. She chuckled nervously. The girl giggled and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “If you don’t mind me asking, “who is your boss, anyway?”

“Turn around and you’ll find out,” came the mature female voice.

Akira turned around and looked up at a tall, beautiful woman with green eyes and long black hair, a white strip cutting across her bangs. The blonde stared in awe at the tall woman. She didn’t wear a maid outfit, but instead a boss suit; fitting.

The blonde bowed quickly to the boss. The woman studied her, walked around her slowly. Akira stayed loose, trying not to tense up in front of the woman. “How are you, Rin?” the boss asked, using the idol for her name.

“I’m good,” Akira replied happily, excusing the name change, “How are you today, Boss-sama?”

The woman smiled. She looked at the others and nodded. “She’s good,” she stated, “A little raw, but I think that’ll attract even more customers than she would if she were perfect.”

Akira didn’t know how to take that, so she just smiled. The boss looked at her again. “What’s your name, dear?” she asked sweetly.

“Akira,” the blonde replied, “Or at least that’s what they call me.”

“Akira,” the woman repeated, her voice silky, “That’s interesting. You’ll be ‘Rin’ here, okay? It’s just a stage name. Everyone here has one.”

The blonde nodded, needing no further explanation. “Keiko! Tori! Mai!” the boss called, making the triplets jump slightly, “Please get our new friend a uniform!”

“Hai!” the three bowed before running off.

Akira looked up at the boss. “Are they really related?” she asked curiously.

The woman nodded, her bangs bouncing just slightly. “Here we’re all like family,” she explained, “Usually one joins and bring in her relatives to join. Those three just so happen to be in the same family. It works out even better than if they were twins; two heads may be better than one, but add another and you’re even better!”

The blonde nodded thoughtfully. “So,” she murmured, “Is this almost like a host club?”

“Close,” the boss replied kindly, “Here we perform the classical Cosplay Café procedure. A person, typically male unless the female likes anime and/or manga, will come in. The one working the front at the time will lead them to a table. At which point the person can either request a maid or receive whatever maid comes their way. Usually loyal customers will request maids because they know which ones they prefer and which ones they don’t, while new customers will just receive a maid that’s not doing anything at the moment. This has a few exceptions when the new person knows a maid or has heard good about a certain maid. Rarely happens, though. That’s one way we’re kind of like a host club: requests.

“Each maid has a persona they special in. Yours, for example, will be the Rin Kagamine and other Vocaloid persona; or the otaku persona if you prefer. Basically, you’ll be the one who performs the most cosplay, mainly being Rin Kagamine, and you’ll take the attitude of whatever character you are.

“Now, that’s only you. For the rest of the girls, they have a specific personality that makes them likeable. The triplets, for example. Each of them look alike and perform similarly. However, Mai has a slightly more seductive personality while Keiko has more of a childish personality. Tori, on the other hand, is a little more silent and mysterious than anything. Separate them, they can still work perfectly. Put them together to create the perfect incest that turns men on. Sisterly staged love!”

They had sat down at a table and were drinking tea as the boss continued to explain the personalities. The black haired woman took a sip to sooth her throat before continuing. “The girl who brought you here, Yoshi, specializes in playfulness. She truly is like a little neko! This is probably the easiest. She acts like a little girl who’s curious about the world and loves to play, giving off a helpless and cute personality.

“Nana, the one with blue streaks in her hair has a bad girl type persona. She plays it very well, if I do say so myself. She’s like Mai but amplified. She seduces men and they leave wanting more every time, making them come back more and more. She isn’t really like that; it truly is a fabulous act! Usually she’s the opposite and hates herself after changing into her regular clothes, calling herself a whore or slut. But once she gets her outfit on, she’s a totally different person. Truly a great actress.”

Akira nodded. “Amazing!” she stated, putting down her tea as she spoke, “So many personalities it’s hard to keep track! So I’ll be the one who takes on different personalities depending on the dress? Are you sure you can trust me with that?”

The boss laughed and patted her shoulder. “I’m sure you can do fine!” the woman laughed, brushing her bangs away from her eyes, “You did great going from confused little neko to a serious teen. I think you’ll do great. Can you sing?”

The question caught her off guard. “Depends on what the person thinks,” she chuckled nervously, taking another sip of tea.

“Can you sing something for me? Just for a test?”

The boss’s eyes looked so excited, curious. She had to at least _try_ for her new boss. She put her tea down after a moment of thought and nodded. “What song?” she asked casually, a smirk morphing her lips.

The woman smiled and shrugged. “Whatever song is playing on your iPod, I guess,” the woman said, gesturing to her music player.

Akira nodded and put the headphones over her ears, shuffling her iPod. She blushed slightly and smiled as one of the funniest songs on her music player began playing. By Rin Kagamine, no less. “Kodomo atsukai itsumo shiteru no joushiki aru tsumori dashi Karada mo nakanaka no mon yo,” she began.

She sang up to the chorus and couldn’t help but smile wide as she sang. “Pantsu nugeru mon pantsu nugeru mon pantsu nugeru mon ne!” she cheered, pumping up her arm into the air.

The song continued until it came to the next chorus, a slightly changed version of the first. “Pantsu hakeru mon pantsu hakeru mon pantsu hakeru mon ne!” she fixed it.

She ended the song and paused her iPod before it could play the next song. She looked at the boss, who was smiling widely. Akira blushed slightly and poked her own cheek. “You sound just like Rin Kagamine!” the boss cheered.

“So I’ve heard,” Akira laughed nervously.

“I’m curious, can you do other Vocaloids?”

Akira looked up at the roof and shrugged. “Never tried,” she admitted.

“Go on!” the boss urged.

The blonde nodded and searched through her iPod for a good song. Bad Apple, Gumi’s version began playing in her ears and she couldn’t help but want to get up and dance. “Nagareteku toki no naka de demo kedarusa ga hora guru, guru mawatte. Watashi kara hanareru kokoro mo mienaiwa sou shiranai?”

“Stop!” the boss muted her.

Akira paused the music and looked up at the woman. The black haired woman motioned for her to stand and follow her. The boss took her to a different section of the café. There was a large stage on the floor, a microphone on a stand in the middle and a few more off to one side. The boss motioned for her to get up onto the stage. “There are wireless mics over where the others stands are,” she instructed, “Go ahead and switch out that mic for a wireless.”

The blonde nodded and did as told. The triplets came back, a uniform at hand. Akira had almost forgotten about them. The boss made gestures and the three ran up to the blonde, handing the maids outfit to her. “Go ahead and hold off on the mics for now,” the boss instructed, “Go ahead and go try that one on, see if it’ll fit.”

Akira nodded and ran off to the bathroom to change. She quickly put on the maid outfit and walked in front of the mirror, touching the fake ears that were still on her head. She smiled at how girly she looked, blushing slightly as she tried to put the skirt lower. She walked out and back to the stage.

The boss was waiting for her calmly, standing up when she saw the blonde coming. She smiled. “Fits perfectly,” the boss observed, “What do you think?”

“It’s not itchy like I thought it would be,” Akira laughed nervously, receiving a chuckle out of the tall woman.

“Well,” the boss dismissed the matter, “Let’s see you sing that again! Go ahead and put on a wireless mic and hand me your iPod for a moment, please.”

Akira nodded and did as commanded. She walked back to the center of the stage, fingers twitching nervously. “Do you know the dance to this song?” the boss asked curiously.

The blonde nodded. “But I only know one side of the dance,” she explained, “I need a partner.”

The boss nodded thoughtfully. “I know, I know,” she murmured before calling, “Yoshi!”

The dark haired girl ran quickly up to the boss, bowing quickly. “Yes?” she asked kindly.

“Which side do you know of the Bad Apple dance?” the tall woman asked both teens.

“I know the right person’s,” Yoshi said quickly.

“And I know the left,” Akira said a little later.

“Yoshi,” the boss began, “Will you perform the dance with Rin? I’d like to see it in person. It’d be very interesting to watch performed live.”

The girls nodded and set themselves up. “Are you going to get a mic?” Akira asked curiously, noticing that the girl didn’t attempt to get one.

Yoshi shook her head. “Can’t sing that good,” she laughed honestly.

The blonde didn’t press further. The boss turned on the iPod so that it played from the very beginning, placing it in a stereo dock so it played through the whole café.

The two teens, already in their positions, began dancing to the beat. In perfect synchrony, they danced quickly to the beat. The music slowed and they bent their bodies so they looked at the floor. It picked up and they stood, turning around and preparing for the lyrics. “Nagareteku toki no naka de demo kedarusa ga hora guru, guru mawatte. Watashi kara hanareru kokoro mo mienaiwa sou shiranai?” Akira sang as the lyrics sounded.

They finished the dance, Akira singing along with the track. It was tiring, but they made their way through it skillfully. A few places their dancing separated into different moves, still they kept together and danced through it as if they really were programs in a MikuMikuDance. They finished back to back, fingers touching lightly.

They paused for a moment before separating and bowing to the boss, who clapped quickly and loudly. “Not only can you sound like Rin Kagamine,” the boss cheered, “You can dance difficult dances without rehearsing with your partner.”

Akira smiled. “It helps to have a good partner!” she chuckled, looking over at Yoshi who looked away, smiling embarrassed.

“That may be true,” the boss continued, “and you may only sound like Rin Kagamine, but your performance was brilliant! Both of you!”

“Thank you very much,” the two said together, bowing quickly.

“I think we have our next stage presence,” the boss said satisfied.

The two bowed again and the boss dismissed the dark haired girl. Akira walked up to her new boss after being motioned to do so. “You will start tomorrow at seven,” the tall woman said, writing on a slip of paper with all the maid’s times on it, “If that works for your schedule, of course.”

Akira nodded. “All I really have is the anime convention here,” she murmured mainly to herself, “So I have time.”

The boss nodded. “Good,” she said, handing her a slip with her times on it, “You can work weekdays and Saturdays if we’ve been getting a lot of customers. Sundays we’re closed.”

The blonde looked at the piece of paper, studying it closely. She nodded and waved her farewells before walking out the front door of the café. She glanced at the paper again before folding it and sliding it into her pocket.

Akira began walking back to Shizuo’s house, seeing how dark it was outside. The black night sky was lit only by the numerous lights in the city.  The blonde took out her iPod and switched it on, placing the headphones over her ears. She played a random song, Matryoshka by Gumi and Miku started playing and she smiled tiredly. She walked to its beat, practically dancing.

“Anata to watashi de randebū? randebū? Ara ma ton detta abanchūru? Ashidori yugan de 1,2,1,2!” she sang out, laughter hinted in her tone.

The music went on and she nodded her head to it calmly. “Matte nante itte matte, matte!” she called out to no one in particular.

A few heads turned to her and she just smiled. She walked down the sidewalk, humming happily to the song. As it reached its end, she decided to sing along. “chuu chu, chu, chu la lu la taiyaiya aa iyattatta,” she practically giggled.

She wasn’t paying attention, her eyes closed as she sang the last bit. The blonde stepped into something warm yet strong and stopped dead in her tracks. She paused for a bit, her eyes open to nothing but darkness. She pulled back, realizing it was a person and blushing somewhat, knowing it was a man. She bowed quickly before seeing who it was exactly. “Gomenasai!” she cried, not even looking at the person.

A familiar voice reached her ears, somewhat muffled because of her headphones but still understandable only because the music was silent in her ears. “Oh,” the voice practically sang, “There’s no need to apologies. I didn’t think you’d want to kiss me so bad you’d bump into me, though.”

She quickly stood up straight and glared at the person before her. She paused the music trying to reach her ears but didn’t bother to take off her headphones. “What do you want,” she murmured under her breath, “Orihara Izaya.”

He put his hand to his chest, chuckling just slightly. “You nearly killed me with your tone!” he laughed, “Oh, how rude.”

Akira rolled her eyes, ignoring the fact that she had her maids outfit still at hand. “I’ll ask again,” she hissed, her voice as icy as it was before, “What. Do. You. Want?”

The raven haired man gave her a grin and shrugged. “I was just walking by,” he said, turning around with his arms out like he was holding something at shoulder height, “And _you_ bumped into _me_. Really, shouldn’t I be the one asking what you want?”

She rolled her blue eyes. “Whatever,” she murmured, hand on the play button of her iPod as she tried to push passed the man.

He stood in front of her, blocking her way. She tried going the other way, but he purposely stepped in front of her again. He gave a smile as if pretending to be trying to go that way, too. She rolled her eyes and just shoved past him, bumping shoulder with the man. Eyes watched her back and she knew they belonged to the man.

Ignoring it, she grabbed her phone, pulling down her headphones with her other hand. She quickly flipped it open and searched for Shizuo’s number as she walked towards the house. Footsteps sounded behind her and she knew she was being followed. With a press of a button, she dialed his number and put it up to her ear, listening to it ring. “Are you okay?” he picked up almost immediately.

She smirked and chuckled just slightly. “Hi to you, too,” she teased half heartedly.

“Sorry,” she could barely hear him murmur, “I told you to call if you were in trouble, so I thought…” He trailed off and she figured he was looking at the ground.

The blonde smiled and sighed. “Just callin’ to tell you I might be home late,” she explained, “So you don’t freak out, okay?”

She could practically hear the shock through the phone. “Why would you be home late?” he asked, suddenly nervous for her.

“Well,” she said, reconsidering her words, “Depends on what you think late is, I guess. I just mean after midnight, maybe.”

“Why would you be home late?” he repeated more intensely.

She sighed, lowering her voice to no more than a whisper. “Trying to avoid this idiot that keeps following me,” she explained, eyes going to their corners so she could see more behind her, still feeling the same pair of eyes on her back.

Her hand slid into her pocket, the maids outfit tucked under her arm. “What idiot?” he asked, confusion hinted in his voice.

“This idiot I met a while back,” she murmured into the phone, “I bumped into him again. Literally. Accidentally. Still, he’s stalking me now.”

“Do you know his name?” he asked, “What’s he look like?”

“Why you so interested?” she asked, slightly suspicious.

A small breath reached her ear and she figured he had sighed. “I might know the guy,” he quickly made up an answer, “And maybe I want to know who’s stalking you?”

She could just tell he didn’t want to say “you” to mean her. There was obviously something else on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back just in time. She looked around for a moment, noticing the crowd that had surrounded her. “Damn,” she cussed under her breath before, “Anyway, his name is Orihara Izaya.”

“Izaya?” Shizuo drug out the name, restraining a scream.

“Calm down,” she soothed, “You know him?”

“I know that bastard, alright,” he growled, “I’m coming over and I’m killing him. Where are you?”

“No!” she demanded, “Don’t. I can take care of myself, so you just stay wherever you are and finish up your work.”

Another sigh into the phone. “I know you can,” he murmured, “You just need to get away from him. Quickly.”

She stopped walking for a minute, hanging a few feet in front of an alley. “I know, I know,” she sighed, “I was just calling to tell you I might be home a little late. See you later. Bye.”

“Bye,” he replied reluctantly.

She hung up and slid the phone into her pocket. As she did, she let her eyes wander behind her and fall on Izaya for a brief moment. He had stopped behind her and was pretending to listen to a phone call. Quickly, she drew her eyes away and began walking, putting her headphones over her ears again.

She quickly began walking away. Her eyes darted around from path to path, trying to figure out which way to go. Her eyes landed on an alley. As she approached it, she began moving towards it slowly. When she reached it, she turned into the alley, spinning once to get in a straight path. She began running. Quickly she ran and ran, straight for a wall.

Akira jumped sideways at one of the walls at her sides. Swiftly, she did as she did before and jumped from wall to wall, landing on the one closer to the home she was staying out. She quickly ducked down behind the ledge before she could be seen. She peered back over the ledge quickly, almost hesitantly. He was gone. She stood up quickly and began running on the roofs towards the house. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that told her he hadn’t left her quiet yet.

She jumped from roof to roof, the song “Monochrome Ward” by the Kagamine twins playing in her ear. She didn’t know she had pressed play on her iPod. She didn’t care.

Footsteps were sounding in her ear and she didn’t know if it was just the music or real. The roofs came to a stop and she skidded to a halt. Her blonde hair blew in the wind, her blue eyes wide and scared. Rocks thudded softly on the ground, pushed by Akira in the first place.

She was lucky there was a railing before her or she could’ve gone straight off. She realized the music had paused and wondered if it was all in her mind. She pulled her headphones down and looked at her iPod. It was “Matryoshka.” All in her head it had been. She sighed, wondering how it could play so clearly when she only knew some of the words and beat.

Clapping sounded behind her and she jerked around, her eyes still wide with fear. Izaya was a little ways away from her, inching closer and clapping slowly. “Why the hell are you following me?” she tried to growl out threateningly, but her voice wavered slightly.

He chuckled. “Why so nervous?” he said in his light tone.

She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, stopping her shaking. When she reopened her eyes they revealed all her hate and anger at the moment, masking her fear. She glared at him, her teeth bared. “Let me try that again,” she said through gritted teeth, “Why the _hell_ are you _following_ me?”

He only smiled at her. “That, my dear Akira,” he practically cooed, “is because you interest me.”

She _hated_ the way he said her name. “I don’t give a _damn_ about your _stupid_ interests in me,” she hissed.

“Oh!” he said with the happiest of sarcasm, “Language, little Akira, language!”

“Shut the hell up!” she growled at him, backing up to the railing.

“You better be careful,” he said, a mischievous glint in his eye, “You might fall.”

She didn’t reply, getting an idea. Her grip tightened on the rail. She shifted her weight to the side her hand tightened on. “Why are you so interest in me?” she murmured, confused, but still trying to stall.

He smirked, obviously pleased. “I thought you didn’t give a damn,” he said lightly.

She smirked. “Language, little Izaya, language,” she mocked.

He breathed out a tiny laugh. “Exactly,” he said turning so his side was to her, “That’s why you interest me! There’s something about you that’s different. Not just that you’re a foreigner. I’m _curious_ as to what goes on in your mind. You spare a person in the tournament that made you bleed greatly. Made you pass out on the sidewalk when you were leaving the tournament.”

Akira tensed. “How’d you know about that?” she murmured, her glare never leaving his mischievous look.

Izaya smirked. “Who do you think sent Celty to go pick you up?” he questioned, “Or at least go down that road. I followed you out and saw you passed out.”

Her grip tightened at the thought. “Why?” she hissed, “Why did you follow me?”

He only smirked. “Why are you so bothered by that?” he chuckled, “You’d think a girl would love the attention.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not that kind of girl,” she murmured under her breath, “I actually prefer less attention and trouble, thank you!”

He chuckled and stepped closer. “You’re funny,” he said, a new glint to his eye she couldn’t pin a direct emotion on.

“You’re creepy,” she said in the same tone.

He grinned just a little more wider. He stepped a little closer so he was right in front of her. “You interest me,” he murmured.

“You already told me that,” she reminded, her head starting to hurt.

He smiled. “I know,” he shrugged, “You just interest me that much.”

He stepped just a little closer. For some reason, she was calmer, a little more relaxed. “What do you want with me?” she asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Izaya smirked. “Nothing from just you,” he mused, “I love all humans. Well, all but Shizu-chan.”

“Shizu-chan?” she breathed just so she could hear.

Her eyes grew wide and she tensed just slightly, suddenly remembering Shizuo and what he said about the raven haired man. “I love to see the way they react the way I guess they would,” he continued, ignoring her small comment, “I purely just love humans!”

Akira’s gaze went from calm to a glare again. He wasn’t even looking at her and yet he was so close. “There are a few who I can’t predict,” he continued more of to himself than her, “Like Shizu-chan and even my sisters.”

She ignored that last comment. Akira leaned on her hand, grip tight on the railing. In one swift motion, the blonde quickly leapt into the air, hand still on the railing, and kicked the man in front of her, landing on the other side with her back facing him.

She turned to him, a hand up in a wave. He looked up at her from a doubled over position, holding his jaw where she kicked. “Yeah,” she answered, “Don’t really care. Never really cared, actually.”

She backed up so her heels touched the edge of the ledge. The end of the song played in her ears, a sharp, long noise that meant someone was dead. The sound of a straight line on one of those pulse radars. She smirked. The words spoken at the end reached her lips but she knew they would make no sense in this situation. So instead, she waved and fell back. The long beep rang in her head for a moment longer before cutting off.

The thumping of her heart in her hears quickly replaced it, though. She quickly flipped so she’d land on her feet and spread out so she looked almost like a star. She brought in her legs just slightly but kept her arms straight out.

As the stone below her met her feet, she crouched, putting one arm down to balance herself out. She paused, sending her weight around her body to test each bone to make sure she wasn’t broken at all.

Quickly, she ran. Faster and faster, she ran. She wanted to get away from the idiot and knew he was watching her from the rooftop. She ran until she thought she was out of sight then hid behind the corner where she’d have to go to get to Shizuo’s.

She stopped and dared to peek around the corner. He was gone from sight. As quickly as she could, she ran to the house. Her hand reached to door knob and she threw it open, slamming it behind her. She sighed and leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath.

“You’re home,” a voice reached her ears, faintly familiar.

She looked up to see Shizuo standing in front of her with a bottle of milk. She didn’t know how to feel, or what to do. So, she just walked blindly to her room, wobbling slightly. “I’m going to go….” She trailed off for a moment, “Yeah….”

She didn’t even notice him watching her as she made her way into the room. She dropped the outfit on the floor, not even caring about it anymore. She looked at her iPod, which glowed brightly in the dark. She smiled sadly and clicked the play button for the song Dark Woods Circus. It was one of her favorites and for some reason she wanted to hear something depressing at the moment.

Her blue eyes fluttered shut as she listened to it. As it finished and the carriage pulled away from the song, she couldn’t help but hear a man’s voice. “Drop by and see him,” he said, “Drop by, to the Dark Woods Circus.”

She smiled just slightly and bunched up a little more. “I will,” she breathed before falling into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she was in a carriage of some sort. The floor moved with her, carrying her, and the clatter of horses could be heard in front of her. She blinked once or twice before sitting up slightly, resting on her weak arms. She looked from person to person in the space they were in.

Two had their backs to each other, one that had no head like Celty without her helmet and the other in a straight jacket that almost looked like Shizuka. She stared at the two for a little, trying to figure out what was going on. She looked over to see a man with two heads, one that looked like Mikado and the other like Kida.

They sat in silence, seeming wary of each other. The girl that appeared to be Celty looked at Akira and her green eyes widened slightly. “You’re up,” the girl with her back to her said in a horse voice.

The blue eyed girl blinked and sighed, touching her head. “Where are we going?” she said, her voice soft and dry.

“The Dark Woods Circus,” the person that appeared to be Shizuka said almost excitedly.

Akira crossed her legs and stared at them. “What have they done to us?” she was surprised to hear her own voice so sad and scared.

The head that appeared to be Mikado answered her with a blank stare. “What the real question is what will they do to us?

“That one’s easy,” she answered, “We’ll be put into the Circus and treated like animals. The two headed one, the deformed diva, and the one who loves to eat things cold.”

They stared at her with sad eyes. She looked at the others and sighed. The carriage stopped, making them jerk forward and, for Shizuka, back. The door opened, letting in a bright light. Akira quickly covered her face from the light. A strong hand grabbed her and pulled her out. When she looked up at them, she was shocked to see Izaya’s face. “Come now!” he called to all of them, “The circus is beginning soon, so we have no time for those who want to hang around!”

Her eyes narrowed, but she let him drag her away. She looked over her shoulder and watched the others for a moment before they disappeared into the black night. _Interesting that I’m not the deformed diva_ , she thought, _Maybe it’s not exactly the same. At least, maybe for me._

When she looked back forward, she noticed that he had dragged her into a tent. He sat her in a chair and looked at her with gleaming eyes. A smirk was seen even with his fists in front of his mouth. Izaya placed down his hands and looked at her. “The show will be starting soon,” he said, looking at his pocket watch, “But I don’t think I want the audience to see you. At least, not yet.”

He licked his lips and she shuddered just slightly. He reached over the desk that separated them and touched her face with one hand. He gently stroked her cheek, making her close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of being loved for a moment. “I hope you’ll be a good girl and do as told,” he continued lustfully.

He pulled his hand away slowly and she looked at him sadly, almost pouting. He smirked wider and chuckled. “I think you will,” he cooed, “Even if you do misbehave, I’ll forgive you the first time. Wouldn’t want that pretty little face to be ruined by a stupid mistake, now do we?”

She just stared at him dumbly, faintly wondering what he meant. Of course, she knew the story behind the song and understood a few things about it; the story was horrid. She wondered how she appeared; the others in the carriage had appeared slightly deformed in some way.

His touch brought back her senses. His fingers stroked her cheek for a second before they cupped her ear. He entangled his fingers in her hair, which in turn fell over her eye. A smile crept onto his face, both creepy and calmly in some twisted way. He pulled his hand away, taking a strand of her hair on his finger.

Confused blue pools stared into lustful reddish brown orbs. “The show’s about to start,” his smooth words danced skillfully to her ear.

She nodded, gulping slightly. He stood, pulling her out the tent roughly. He pulled her out into the forest for a brief moment. She blinked. When her eyes opened once more she was in the middle of a large tent, all her sides blocked by tall rows of people.

Laughing people.

They pointed and laughed, apparently taking joy of her distortion and fear. She heard a few voices, brimming with laughter. Other voices reached her ears more clearly, somehow familiar. She still couldn’t understand it. She looked around, confused and scared. Her eyes landed on a smirking Izaya, who was in the center of one of the tent, holding a large whip like item.

Akira stepped back, getting scared. He licked his lips again, showing gleaming white teeth for a brief moment. He cracked his whip and she fell onto the ground, sprawling away from him as quickly as she could.

She stopped. She looked at her hands. They were marked red as if wounded, her nails long and black. Her feet were the same. Her hands went to her head, feeling her dirty and stringy hair. She curled her body up in a ball. She watched behind her knees as the ring master walked up to her. Pulling her up, he stared into her eyes.

She felt so calm, so safe as he touched her gently with one hand. His hand ran down her arm, making her go limp and close her eyes in satisfaction. He smirked at her, a devilish look rising in his eyes. He cracked the whip behind him, making her jump slightly.

The sound of a rising gate made its way to her ears. She looked around wildly for the gate, but couldn’t find it. Instead, she noticed a large black lioness making its way to the center of the tent. The feline had large, scared brown eyes.

Akira blinked, trying to figure out why they were so familiar. Her eyes widened as she realized it was those of her opponent the day of the Karate tournament. The lioness stood in front of her, as if in a ring. The cat looked at her paws for a brief moment, shuffling them just slightly.

“Attack!” Izaya called, laughing as he cracked the air with his whip once again.

The nervousness in the lioness’s eyes faded, replaced but a hard anger. Akira stepped back in fear, the large black cat setting a huge paw in front of her. The cat wasted no time hesitating, attacking as soon as the word was spoken. It lunged with a large paw, claws outstretched. She dodged it, avoiding attack after attack.

She went to dodge one paw, but the lioness fainted and attacked straight on with the other. The large black paw hit her face, shoving her back into the wall that protected the viewers. The crowd leapt back for her in a small wince, as if they were feeling her pain. They only did so for a second before cheering at her pain, loving her fear.

The blonde wanted to just stay where she was, to never move again. Yet, she stood up and staggered back to the lion. She stood ready, waiting for the lion to try to attack her again. Izaya helped the lioness move faster.

“Attack!” he laughed again, obviously enjoying it as much as the crowd.

The lioness leapt at her again, but this time she was ready. Akira moved just out of the way, grabbing onto the closest paw. Before the black feline landed, the blonde threw the paw up, still holding onto it. The lion flipped over so it was on its back and landed with a large thump. The blonde jumped, landing on top of the large lion, and pressed its own claws into its chest. A good amount of blood began spilling from the new wound, covering her already red hands and staining her feet as it surged past.

She stared at the scarlet liquid for a minute, heart beating as the realization of what she did set in. The blonde stood up straight and looked around, her eyes dark and sad. She jumped down, moving the hair away from her eyes, staining her skin with the fresh blood.

Izaya grinned widely and held out his arms above his head, looking around at the crowd. They cheered and yelled excitedly. They began to calm down, and the raven turned back to her. Her snapped his fingers, making a microphone appear in his hand. Tossing it to her, he ordered her, “Sing, my little maid. Sing!”

Akira looked down at her clothes to find she was in a maids outfit. It was a tight fit to, making her chest pop out a little more. She blushed but kept the mic at her side. The crowd chuckled at her disobedience.

Izaya frowned and walked up to her. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head backwards. He yanked her back up sharply, making it feel like her hair was going to rip right out of her head. “Listen to me,” he said, his breath hot against her face, “I _own_ you. You _will_ sing, or you’ll pay.”

The blonde gulped but gave the slightest of nods. He smirked and let her go. She tested her voice out, making sure it wouldn’t crack. She brought the microphone to her lips and softly sang. “Tanosiiyo, tanosiiyo,” she sang with fake happiness, “Kono CIRCUS wa tanosii!”

As she continued to sing, she noticed the crowd calm and stare at her in awe, obviously enjoying her voice. Soon, though, Izaya got bored with it. He walked over to her slowly, licking his lips. She ignored it and kept singing, her voice changing to match the emotion of the words. Just before she got to the part about wanting to die, the raven blocked the microphone.

Her voice faltered and she found it caught in her throat. The reddish brown eyes man stared into her blue pools, licking a smirk. He leaned in closer and licked her cheek with a gentle tongue. He took the blood that rolled down her cheek on his tongue. He licked a trail up her face until reaching her forehead. He cleaned her wound that she had forgotten she had with his tongue, licking gently yet roughly.

She blushed just slightly, the redness increasing as he made his way back down, leaving soft kisses down her face until he reached her jaw. He made his way to the crock of her neck, leaving a kiss in each space he passed, searching for a certain spot. The tiniest of moans escaped her lips as he kissed down on the crock of her neck.

She blushed harder when the crowd chuckled. “What a slut,” she heard one person laugh.

Izaya ignored the comments and kissed harder at her sweet spot. Akira bit her tongue, holding back another moan. He frowned, kissing harder and harder, even licking at the spot. Her breathing grew hard and she struggled not to let him have his way. Teeth grazed her skin, slowly taking it in. She sighed happily. He bit quick and hard, making her gasp and moan involuntarily.

He smirked and by that point her face was a bright red. He made his way, leaving soft kisses, up to her ear. He nibbled at her lobe, making her go a little limp. He smiled against her and whispered, “You’re such a sweet little girl.”

He continued to nibble and she became faintly unaware of the laughs and wolf whistles from the surrounding group. “I-Izaya,” she gasped as a hand went up her skirt and began playing with the rim of her panties, “W-we’re still in the circus.”

The raven haired man breathed into her ear, making her shudder. “I know,” he whispered lovingly, still nibbling at her ear, “They came for a show. They’ll get one. If they don’t want to see, they may leave.”

Akira was too weak to argue. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she began to drop, keeping her up. He left the rim of her underwear and began going straight under her. He tickled her with the tips of his fingers, feeling at her wetness. He went back to her sweet spot, smirking into her skin. “You’re liking this,” he chuckled as he nibbled at the spot, making her groan happily as an answer.

She could feel him against her and it was her turn to smirk. “I-it feels like you are, too,” she chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep steady.

She restrained herself from scanning his neck for his spot; it was so open to her, so easy to get to. She gulped and held tighter as he rubbed harder against her, making her wetter and wetter. His other hand gripped her chest, playing with it through the clothes she had on.

She couldn’t help but want to pay him back. Her knee rubbed against him, making him grunt just slightly. He forced her on the ground, taking her by surprise. He got under her maids outfit with both hands, ripping off her cover. She screamed out his name in fear. Ignoring her, he grabbed the collar of her outfit and got ready to pull down. She began to scream once again, only to get cut off.

“Stop!” a familiar voice interrupted.

The raven headed man paused and looked behind him, straddling her by the waist to keep her pinned down. The frown that had appeared upon being interrupted in doing what he wanted was replaced by another smirk. “Shizu-chan!” he cooed, leading out a hand to the blonde man, “What a pleasure!”

“Shut up and get off her, Orihara,” he growled.

Akira blushed and tried to keep herself covered best she could. She knew she was flashing her entrance to everyone in that direction and was trying not to. Izaya paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “Why, Shizu-chan?” he cooed, “Do you just want her to herself?”

His face flushed but Shizuo just walked calmly up to the raven haired man. He pulled the raven off of her and stared at him directly in the eye for a moment, teeth gritted angrily. He lifted him higher before throwing him against one of the walls.

Shizuo then turned to a blushing Akira with hurt eyes. He put out a hand, trying not to look at her. She took it and he helped her up. “Gomen,” she murmured to her savior, her friend, “Gomenasai!”

She buried her face in his chest and he hugged her tightly, obviously glaring over at Izaya. He pulled away just slightly, pushing her away from him. She was shocked and hurt, but soon realized why. Izaya was stabbing the open air between them, obviously aiming for one of them. The two began fighting, Shizuo lifting a pole that held a small section of the tent up and swinging it wildly at Izaya, who was wielding a sharp switchblade. “Stop!” she yelled at the two, confused tears making their way into her eyes, “Stop it, now!”

“No!” she yelled loudly as the dream disappeared.

“Akira-chan,” Shizuo’s voice reached her ears, “Akira-chan, wake up! Wake up!”

She snapped her eyes open, still screaming, tears welling up in her eyes. Her screams faded into a soft whimper and she looked around with wide, scared eyes. They landed on Shizuo, who was blurry through the tears that masked her eyes. “S-Shizuo-kun?” she whimpered, scared and confused.

He stared back at her, his eyes concerned but happy. “Good,” he murmured, “You’re awake.”

She stared up at him through the tears in her eyes. “Y-you…?” she trailed off, not knowing what to finish with.

His lips twitched in a smile and she tried to stop a tear from falling. She didn’t want him to see her like that. To hide her face, she jumped up, wrapping her arms around him tightly. “Shizuo-kun,” she choked back tears as she cried into his shoulder.

He was shocked, wobbling and trying not to fall on top of her. Her gripped her back to try and help steady them. She ignored it and continued to hold onto the other blonde, for fear that if she let go she’d have to go back into her dream.

They held each other in silence, Akira trying not to cry to hard, but tears still sliding down her cheek. “Gomenasai,” she murmured, “Gomenasai!”

He rubbed her back just slightly. “It’s okay, Akira-chan,” he whispered soothingly, “It’s all okay.”

He stopped and they stayed in the position for a while. Then they both pulled away slightly, the girl looking away so he wouldn’t see her face, her tears. “What exactly was your nightmare about?” he murmured, more worry in his voice than curiosity.

She rubbed her eyes on her own shoulder and looked back at him, trying not to tear up again. A weak smile sat on her face, her eyes dark with sadness. “A Dark Woods Circus,” she murmured, barely moving her lips.

He gazed at her for a moment, confused. She grabbed the headphones to her iPod and placed them over his ears. She re-winded the song that was paused and played it from the beginning. He closed his eyes and listened carefully to the song, taking the headphones off after a minute and still gazing at her in confusion. She sighed and tried to explain the best she could.

“The song is based off history,” she tried, “Back in the past there was—were—circuses that took in orphans or deformed children or even deformed the orphans and made them perform. They would pour acid on the faces of misbehaviors and sometimes…” She trailed off, gulping at the thought of what happened in her dream. “Sometimes they’d even rape them in front of an audience. Truly horrid….”

He stared at her for a moment. “Why the hell do you listen to that then?” he asked, anger lining his voice to hid the confused worry.

She smiled and sighed. “It’s a great song nonetheless,” she shrugged, not even knowing the answer, “All the songs in the series are.”

He blinked but didn’t push more out of her. He got up off the bed, making her bounce just slightly. Looking away from her, he blushed. “Don’t you have to go to a convention or something?” he asked.

Her blue orbs grew wide and she jumped up. “Holly crap I forgot!” she practically yelled. Pushing him out the door, she said in a rush, “Get out I need to get into character so I can get over there before all the good stuff is go-ne!”

Walking out as she pushed, Shizuo closed the door behind him, leaving her to get ready. She paused, considering something. “Hey, wait!” she called, stripping out of her shirt, “I can use the shower right?”

There was a moment of awkward silence and she blushed. She felt so stupid asking the question. “Yeah,” came the awkward reply.

“’Kay thanks!” she yelled in reply as she stripped down and jumped into the shower.

She turned on the water, jumping as the cold stream hit her back. She gave out a small, startled yelp. Ignoring it, she quickly finished up her shower, rinsing herself off before applying the shampoo and soap to her soaking body. Everything left her mind with the water that slid down her cold body. Hoping she wasn’t wasting too much time, she quickly rinsed herself off again and turned off the water. She reached out and grabbed a towel, still hiding behind the shower curtain. She dried herself quickly, still a little wet, and wrapped the towel around herself. As she went back into the room, she finished off drying herself.

Akira quickly pulled on a pair of underwear, followed by the cosplay she had made. She pulled out the cord to the headphones, picking the first Rin Kagamine song she saw on her playlist. Pantsu Nugeru Mon played throughout the room, making her laugh. She pulled on socks before putting on her shoes, sliding the leg warmer things over both legs after. She fixed the tie around her neck and tidied up her outfit. She went into the bathroom connected to the room, fixing her hair quickly, brushing it so it wasn’t so messy. Her blue eyes shone as she slowly put on the headphones and bow on top of her head. She looked at herself in the mirror, smiling like Rin did.

Akira walked back into the room, pausing the iPod and sliding it into her pocket along with her phone. She grabbed some cash and stuck it into her back pocket. She grabbed her kunai and put it in her other pocket just in case. Quickly, she ran out to the door. “See you later Shizuo-kun!” she yelled as she quickly opened the door and shut it behind her.

She ran quickly down the streets, hoping to get to the convention soon. She didn’t even check the time, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to get there. The blonde ran quickly, trying to mimic Rin as much as possible. “Today,” she said to herself, “Watashi wa…. Rin Kagamine!”

The convention came into view and she got into line to enter. It would take a while. She bounced eagerly, wanted to get in faster. “Hey Rin, where’s Len?” someone asked behind her.

She turned around to see two, equally excited Otaku. She smiled and couldn’t help but sweat-drop just slightly. “I lost him a while back,” she joked, “I don’t know where he is.”

They chuckled. “So, Rin,” the girl chuckled, “I’m guessing you’re going to enter the cosplay contest?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied dreamingly.

“You should!” the boy urged, “You really look like Rin Kagamine. I almost thought she’d come to life and was standing in front of me!”

Akira blushed the tiniest blush at the thought. She mimicked the Kagamine’s laugh best she could. “Thanks!” she chuckled.

The three talked, Akira soon finding their names to be Walker and Erika. They’re eyes were innocent and open, hiding no secrets. The blonde trusted them quickly, knowing they didn’t care who knew what they were or how they knew it. She thought they were cool. They laughed and talked, finding they likes some of the same manga and anime, even had some of the same stuff.

They hung out the whole of the convention, sometimes splitting to get different things but meeting up quickly. Akira bought a Len plush first, and her first plush ever at that. She blushed slightly as she held the cute toy tightly. The other two Otaku chuckled at the thought of Rin holding a Len plush, even though it was not unheard of. They had bought some figures.

The blonde bought a few more things with her limited cash. The stuff was expensive, so she got only the best things she had. She claimed at least one plush from her very favorite animes. As her hands grew a little to full of the toys, she decided she needed a bag. She looked around for a moment, finding a small but very nice Akatsuki cloud bag. She smiled at the thought of her favorite villains and quickly purchased the bag.

When she went back to the others, who had gotten free plastic bags to carry stuff in, cocked their heads at her. “Akatsuki?” Erika guessed.

Akira shrugged. “I’ve always been a sucker for villains,” she chuckled nervously.

They shrugged but smiled, going back to checking the stuff out. She had slid her stuff into the bag, throwing it over her shoulder. She picked out a few necklaces that had something to do with anime she watched. She put most of them in her bag. One, however, she took in both hands and placed around her neck, admiring it as the shining blue crystal shown at her. It was supposed to be the same blue diamond from the series Black Butler, and she thought it was beautiful.

“Hey!” Erika cheered, pulling on Walker’s sleeve but motioning to Akira, “Their going to start the cosplay contest registration! You should sign up.”

The blonde paused, the straw of a soda still in her mouth. “I guess I should,” she murmured passed the straw.

“You have to,” Walker agreed, nodding thoughtfully, “You’re probably the most alike you character without the actual cosplay anyway!”

Akira looked away shyly, blushing slightly. “Thanks,” she said, eyeing the registration place.

There were a few people who had really good cosplay outfits and a few that seemed like they just threw something together last minute. She looked at her own shirt, fingering the material hesitantly. It felt nice and smooth, but almost cheap. She frowned, shifting nervously.

She turned away from it, trying to walk away and laughing nervously, but the other two pushed her back around and shoved her towards the sign up. “Alright, alright!” she sighed, waving them away.

The blonde looked at the signup sheet, a pen in her hand. She quickly wrote her name and who she was cosplaying as. As she set the pen down, the coordinator took the paper out from under her hands and handed it to the announcer. “Okay!” the host said, “Sign up has now ended! Will all the contestants please come up to the stage!”

Akira gulped and looked over her shoulder at the two. She walked over to them and handed over her bag. “Can you hold this for me, please?” she asked weakly.

They chuckled and Erika took the bag from her hands. “Go on!” she pushed her back to the stage.

Akira walked nervously up to the stage. She tried to maintain her Rin character state, but found it difficult. So, she decided to be a nervous Rin. She walked up to the stage and stood with the other contestants. “Great Kagamine Rin cosplay!” a boy wearing a Kaito cosplay complimented.

“Thanks!” she chuckled, “I love your Kaito cosplay.”

He chuckled the way she pictured Kaito would, a nice yet perverted chuckle. She giggled the way she had heard Rin laughed in one of her videos. They began walking towards the stairs that lead onto the stage. The line went by quickly as music played to signal that it was beginning.

Akira walked up onto the stage and couldn’t help but laugh. She stood beside the guy in the Kaito cosplay and a girl as some character she didn’t know. She scanned the crowd as the MC went on and on about how the audience’s vote was by their applause and blah, blah, blah. In truth: she heard only a quarter of what he said.

He walked in front of her, giving off a fake smile. His brown eyes were obviously meant for show business, full of complete lies. “And to go along with Kaito, we have Rin Kagamine here today!” he chuckled, waving his hand over her head, “Who here’s a fan of this Vocaloid?”

A loud cheer rang from the crowd and Akira smiled, flashing a peace sign in a funny pose usually seen in anime. The MC chuckled. “But where’s Len, Rin?” he asked the same question she kept getting, putting the mic in front of her mouth.

She chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. “I actually just came up to see if I could find him,” she joked, “But…” Her eyes widened and she pretended to be confused. “There’s more than one!”

All heads began looking around, finding at least two of the famous Vocaloid. The MC chuckled and patted her head. “It’s okay Rin,” he went on as he continued to the next contestant, “We’re all as confused as you are.”

He continued on until the last of the line was introduced. “Okay!” the announcer gathered back all attentions, “I think we’ve narrowed it down to a lucky four!” He pulled up a few contestants, but not Akira. “You four!” he said dramatically. There was a pause before her exclaimed, “You are _NOT_ our finalists!”

There was an accidental cheer followed by a few chuckled and boos. Akira rubbed the back of her head, chuckling nervously. There were still more than four on the stage. “Miku, come on up here!” he cooed one girl, “You too, Kaito!”

They both stepped up out of the line. “Come on, let’s get Luka up here, too!” the MC continued, waving the cosplay supporters up, “And we can’t forget Rin!”

Akira’s heart thumped as she was called up. “Let’s hear it for the Vocaloids!” he waved to the crowd, receiving a roar of cheers and yells.

She waited for him to say something like “Now get out!” or something stupid like that.

“You are our finalists for this evening,” he cheered, “Now the rest of you can leave! Bye bye~!”

The others looked socked and hurt, but left silently. The MC looked at the Vocaloid cosplay finalists. “Now,” he addressed the crowd, “Who thinks we should end this with a singing competition?”

The crowd cheered and Akira’s heart thumped in fear. She chuckled nervously while the others looked confident as ever. “To make it fair,” the MC went on, “How ‘bout we make them sing a song from a different Vocaloid, huh?”

The crowd started yelling random names and song titles. “I heard Gumi first!” the MC laughed out the lie, “Ten-faced, am I correct?”

The audience cheered and the host of the competition huddled the Vocaloids together. “Okay, so who here can really sing?” he asked.

They all raised their hands up slightly. He nodded. “Okay then,” he said, “You all know the song. You’ll all be the ‘original’ and the second personality singing at the same time. Then… Let’s see… Kaito, you’ll be six and eight. Luka, you’ll have to be ten and five. Miku’ll have three and nine. Rin, that leaves you with four and seven. Okay?”

They all nodded, remembering their personalities. Akira had the Yankee, of course, as well as the Tsundere. The others would have to handle the rest, but her own seemed to be the hardest for her personality. Well, all but the Yankee. She was one after all.

He waved over to the DJ. “Hit it!” he cheered, throwing a fist into the air before running of stage.

The song began playing and all the Vocaloids got into position, their heads down and nodding to the beat. “saisho no watashi wa otonashii musume, koi ni yaburete kanjou wo tozasu no, atarashii jinkaku tsukuriage, watashitachi no kanjou wa ire kawaru. Ah~....!” they all snag, lifting their heads at the same time.

She put her head down as Miku picked up the song, singing as if she was a Genki girl. As Miku put her head down and finished singing, Akira snapped hers up. She quickly moved so she wasn’t directly facing the audience. “Yon, betsu no jinkaku to minashi,” she sang as if she didn’t care about anyone.

Luka sang as the mature personality, very fitting of the character. Kaito sang as the Darudere, somewhat fitting. The MC picked pretty good roles. Her turn came up to sing as the Yankee. She snapped her head up and acted how Americans were portrayed in the PV. “Nana! Kioku no kyouyuu wa sarenai,” she said, putting her head down after her line was up.

As the personalities came to an end, they all sang together, creating an interesting melody to the song. The song seemed to quickly finish. They all looked downwards as the song ended, feet together and hands behind their backs. The crowd cheered excitedly.

They all looked up, smiling happily. “Okay!” the MC cheered, “Now we vote yet again! Who loves Miku?”

A loud cheer came from the crowd and the girl jumped up and down happily. “Kaito?” the MC suggested.

A loud yelling came from fangirls. “Luka!” was followed by the cheering of all the perverted fans out there, making the actress blush.

The MC came over to stand by Akira and she tensed, smiling nervously. “Who here’s a Kagamine fan?” the man joked.

The crowd grew quiet for a second and the blonde’s heart sank. But row after row they gradually stood, waving their hands and jumping up and down excitedly as they yelled. She smiled and flashed a peace sign, receiving even louder yells. “I think we have a winner!” the Mc called over the roar of the crowd.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled up her arm in victory. She pumped her fist in the air. “How about a song, Rin?” the man asked, letting go of her arm.

She shrugged. “Why not!” she chuckled, “Any requests?”

Once again the crowd yelled random songs, making her confused. She paused for a moment as the crowd settled down. “I heard Pantsu Nugeru Mon!” the Mc cheered.

“I heard not!” she retorted, waving a finger at him. She looked over at the DJ and shrugged. “Give me a none-perverted one!” she called.

He nodded and quickly moved his hands across his mixing station. He pointed to her to tell her she was on. She nodded, taking the mic from the MC. She walked across the now solitary stage.

She took a moment to try to remember the song, whatever it was. She smirked as she realized it was Love is War, Eager Love Revenge, Koi Wa Sensou. “Mou yukiba ga nai wa, kono koi no netsuryou,” she began, looking up at the audience before screaming quickly into the microphone.

Her voice echoed throughout the convention, making all heads turn. She sang with full feeling, loving every moment of it. She wanted who she sang of, wanted him even if he was taken. “Baka dana… Watashi!” she sang, a tear sliding down her cheek.

“Naite nanka…” she sang, whipping away her tears, “Nain dakara ne!”

She gather up all her voice and power to sing into the next part. “ ** _Daisuki!_** ” she practically yelled.

She finished the song with the same fired up expression she was wearing. The song ended and she dropped to her knees. She paused for a moment, taking in the cheers of the crowd. Slowly, she stood and smiled at the crowd. “Arigato!” she called, “Minna!”

They clapped and yelled happily. “Rin!” they chanted, “Rin! Rin!”

She smiled and walked off the stage. She handed the mic to the MC as she passed him. His words made her stop. “So,” he cooed, “Do we really have Rin Kagamine?”

Akira smirked. “No,” she replied, her eyes glistening as she looked over her shoulder, “I’m just some Yankee Otaku.”

She walked away with him smiling behind her back. She high fived the DJ as she passed, bumping fists afterwards. “Some Yankee,” the music mixer laughed, “You could’ve fooled me.”

She laughed, “Thanks.”

Erika and Walker ran up to her behind the stage. “That was awesome!” Erika cheered, hugging her.

She laughed and hugged back. “I only stood there and sang,” she said modestly.

“But you truly are the human Rin,” Walker praised.

The blonde chuckled and thanked them both. She took out her phone and looked at the time. It was six. “Kuso!” she cursed to herself, “I have to go! Gotta change. Gotta get to get to work.”

She began running away quickly, not wanting to deal with anyone. “Bye Erika, Walker!” she called over her shoulder, “See you later!”

She ran faster and faster, not even pulling out her iPod. Her footsteps were light and quick as she dodged the crowd and ran towards her temporary home. Picking up the speed, she jumped onto a trash can to dodge a large group. Leaping over their heads, she landed swiftly and continued running. She ran faster and faster, hoping she wouldn’t run into anyone.

The crowd began to lessen, so she ran at her top speed. The blonde reached into her back pocket and took out a single kunai, posing it as if ready to attack. She continued her running, the faces around her beginning to blur. Time seemed to slow as she realized she was being watched yet again. “Damn!” she cursed, putting her hand up so it covered her mouth.

Her blue eyes darted around trying to find the stalker. They grew wider as they landed upon the raven haired man for a brief moment. Time slowed down to its slowest point. She watched as a smirk slowly marked Izaya’s face. She scowled and ran until she was at her limit. Time slowly came back, catching up with her.

But it came back to fast. She somehow tripped over her own feet, stumbling into someone. “Sorry!” she yelled over her shoulder as she regained herself and began running again.

She ran as fast as she could, breathing heavily and trying not to trip again. The blonde ran and ran, hearing swift footsteps behind her. “Damn!” she breathed out, sliding into the closet ally.

She leaned against the wall, taking in a deep breath and trying to calm herself. Her heart beat quickly and she clenched her shirt trying to make it stop. The blonde sank to the ground and bowed her head. She breathed in deeply, hoping she still wasn’t being followed. “Damn Orihara,” she breathed out tiredly.

“Aw, that’s not nice,” she heard the familiar voice.

Her eyes grew wide in a mixture of fear and anger. Snapping her head up, Akira come nose to nose with the stupid man. She narrowed her blue orbs, glaring at the man and gritting her teeth. “What do you want from me?” she growled, fingering her small weapon behind her back.

As her hand made its way slowly closer to the man, he chuckled. “Why do you insist that I want something?” he shrugged, “Maybe I just wanted to say ‘Hi.’”

She flashed a fake smile. With a flick of the wrist, the shining black kunai was at his throat, ready to slit it. “You wouldn’t have chased me if that was all,” she growled, her eyes narrow but the smile still plastered on her face, “Now, what do you want?”

He smirked at her, his own eyes glinting dangerously. “Do you really want to do that?” he asked.

She shrugged, nodding slowly. “Actually, I do,” she decided.

She felt something cold and sharp at her neck and realized he had placed his own weapon under her chin. The blonde scowled. “One wrong move,” she murmured.

“And you’ll be sorry,” he finished for her.

She relaxed, lowering her blade. He grinned evilly. “Good girl,” he said, keeping his blade where it was.

She frowned at him, though the blonde didn’t accept defeat. She pointed it directly at his stomach, careful not to let it touch him quiet yet. She relaxed under him, letting the man put his arm on one side of her head. “What do you want?” she asked tiredly.

He smirked and leaned so his face was right by her ear. A violent blush spread across her face. She could feel her heart thump against her chest and hoped deeply that he wouldn’t do what he did in her dream. His breath was warm against her ear and neck. “I only want,” he whispered the beginning.

Akira didn’t give him a chance to finish. She slid the kunai into his stomach, making him choke up slightly. With a small movement, she sliced his stomach. Izaya dropped onto her, his own blade cutting into her own stomach. She yelped in pain and shock. She gathered enough strength to push him off and get up, the kunai still in her hand but glistening red.

Akira put a hand to her stomach for a second, trying to stop it from bleeding too bad. She looked over her shoulder to see Izaya trying to stand. She took the sure time she had and ran, hand covering up her wound.

The blonde ran awkwardly the rest of the way, getting tired. She started to walk, gasping for breath and wanting to drop to the ground. She restrained herself and kept moving. Though she walked like a zombie, she slowly made her way closer to the house. “Almost there,” she sighed.

The world began to blur, still she pushed on. She didn’t know where she was walking, where people were. She bumped into someone and immediately dropped. “Damn,” she murmured sadly, “So close!”

“I’m sorry,” she heard a faintly familiar voice.

“Hey aren’t you that girl from a few days ago?” another voice asked.

She blinked and looked up, realizing who she had run into. “Damn,” she murmured sadly as she stared up at Mikado and Kida.

“I don’t know, Kida,” the dark haired boy murmured hesitantly.

“Of course it is!” the blonde pressed, “She’d just wearing odd clothes…. And bleeding?”

She struggled to stand but slowly made her way to her feet. “Get out of my way,” she breathed, “I need to go… go home... Back…. Back to Shhh….Shhh….Shhh….” She trailed off, not able to say anything.

She began to fall forward but caught herself. She pushed passed the two teens and made her way down the sidewalk. “But… But you’re hurt!” she heard Mikado call to her.

She looked tiredly over her shoulder. “That’ll be fixed…. Fixed once I… I get…. Back….” She breathed.

She coughed and began walking again. She stopped when the blonde got in her way. He put out a finger out at her. “Why don’t you let us help you, fair maiden?” he put out his hand for her to take.

The girl only glared at him. She began waddling past the boy, her head starting to pound. “You can help me by leaving me alone,” she breathed, “I… I got to get home… Got to get ready… Ready for work….”

He stopped her yet again, looking at her in confusion. “Why don’t you just take a sick day?” he asked dumbly, “I mean, you are sick after all.”

Akira wanted to hit him so bad, but she didn’t have the energy or the time. “I can’t be sick on my first day, Baka,” she retorted tiredly.

He looked shocked and she took the opportunity to pass him and limped quickly down the sidewalk. The world was blurred and she nearly passed the turn. She quickly turned towards the way. She stumbled slightly as her pace quickened. Catching herself, she wobbled towards the door of the house.

She quickly opened the door and closed it, hoping it was the right house. “Shizuo-kun?” she called weakly, her voice cracking, “Are you… are you home?”

No one answered.

She breathed deeply, putting the headphones covering her ears around her neck. She took off her shirt, hoping he really wasn’t home and wouldn’t see her. She dropped it on the floor, her mind elsewhere. She blinked to clear her vision, looking at her wound.

It wasn’t too deep, but still large enough to make it continue bleeding. She choked on her breath trying to make it stop. She hobbled to the bathroom, putting water on her hand and whipping it on her stomach. She smeared her blood, trying to rinse it. Grabbing a towel, the blonde gently dried the watery blood.

The white cloth turned a bright red, but she ignored it. She rummaged through the medicine cabinet by the mirror. Her bloodied hands touched the bandage she was looking for. She grabbed it and wrapped it around her clean wound tightly to stop it from bleeding any further.

Once she finished, she put it back and washed off her hands. She looked at her new bandage, hoping it would hold until after work. She walked to her room, taking off her bow and headphones. She looked at the time and frowned. She was late already. The blonde quickly changed into casual clothes, figuring she’d put her uniform on when she got there. She tossed her ruined cosplay  onto the bed, her shirt still in the hall.

Akira ran out of the house, quickly closing the door behind her. She felt somehow refreshed. Hurt, but still refreshed. She touched her back pocket and realized she had left her weapons at the house, as well as her phone. She went back and quickly grabbed her stuff, sliding it into her back pocket after cleaning them the blood.

She walked back out and quickly began running. “I should buy a switchblade,” she murmured, “Something better than a kunai, at least.”

She ran quickly down the sidewalk, passing the two she had run into swiftly. The maids outfit tucked under her arm was waving behind her. Her blonde hair flew in the wind she was creating with her increasing speed. Her blue eyes were set and determined.

Making a quick turn, she threw the door open to the cosplay café. “Gomenasai!” she yelled quickly as she ran to the back, “Gomenasai! I-I just got a little held back on the way home and I had to fix something and…. And I’m so sorry!”

“Rin,” Yoshi hushed, “Rin! Hold up! Hang on!”

Akira stopped speaking so fast, in the middle of pulling off her shirt. She blinked at her new friend. The girl smiled weakly and reassured her, “It’s okay. If you had to do something, it’s okay. We’ve still got half an hour until we have to perform.”

The blonde sighed in relief, trying to stop her limbs from shaking so violently. She went back to changing, a little more calmly. She slid on her ears to finish off the outfit, hoping they were still doing the neko theme. She walked out to see they were and smiled.

She followed Yoshi for a bit, hoping for some instruction. Then the girl went off to serve a client, so the blonde went to the front desk. “Yo newbie!” she heard a familiar voice.

Akira turned to see the girl with blue streaks in her hair, Nana as she remember it. She looked from side to side and back at the girl, who was sitting on a guys lap. _So that’s what the boss meant_ , the blonde thought, smiling nervously. “Yeah?” she said aloud.

“There was some guy requesting you earlier,” the bad girl called, “He’s sitting at one of the tables by the stage.”

She gulped, her mind running. Who had known where she worked? She hadn’t even told Shizuo! And he was the closest friend she had there in Ikebukuro. The blonde nodded, her mind still clouded with confusion. She walked towards the stage, wondering who possibly wanted her to be their host. _Her_ : an inexperienced newbie who’s only appeal was that she looked like Rin Kagamine.

Akira shook her head, trying to remember she was supposed to be acting like Rin at the moment. She looked around curiously for the person. “There you are, Rin!” the horrid voice called.

The blonde’s eyes grew wide and her heart thumped. Her hand went to her stomach. “How the hell…?” she murmured to herself as she looked over a good ways from the stage.

 _Izaya Orihara;_ of _course_ it had to be him!

She gave a fake smile and walked over to him. “Hello, _sir_ ,” she struggled to keep her voice polite, “You requested me?”

He chuckled. “Why yes, I believe I did,” he chuckled, leaning against the back of his seat and poking the table with a spoon, “We still didn’t finish our conversation. We were…” He cleared his throat, placing a hand over his mouth smoothly. “...rudely interrupted.”

She blinked at him, faking confusion. “Excuse me,” she smiled confusedly, “I have no idea what you mean.”

Izaya smirked and told her to just get him some tea. She bowed her head slightly to him and went off to get his drink. Her mind was still clouded as she got his order. When she took it back, she easily faked happiness and joy. She set the cup on the table and stood up straight. “Is there anything else, sir?” she asked as sweetly as she could manage, her voice wavering between hate and fake politeness.

He took a sip of his drink and set it back own, looking at her with glistening eyes. He tapped his chin, looking at the roof as if he was thinking. Akira restrained from rolling her eyes. He patted his lap with one hand. “Why don’t you come on and sit with me,” he teased, “You’re not busy, are you?”

Akira closed her eyes, hoping that someone would come and take her for a new request. No one did and she, reluctantly, sat on his lap. He smiled at her with that damn smirk. She’d hate to admit it—oh, how she’d _hate_ to admit it!—he was actually kind of cute. She looked away from her client, trying not to blush. He just grinned and played with her hair. “So, I see you lived,” he chuckled evilly into her ear.

She looked at him with emotionless eyes. “You thought you killed me?” she scoffed, “Idiot.”

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. She jumped slightly but allowed him to hug her slightly. His hand scanned her stomach until she winced. He smirked and rubbed the spot gently with his fingers. “Looks like I did some damage, though,” he chuckled into her ears.

The blonde blushed as he stroked her stomach, his head resting on her shoulder. “Why are you doing this?” she breathed.

She could feel him smirk. “Because you interest me,” he cooed into her ear.

Her eye twitched slightly. She snaked her arms in between them and punched his gut where she had stabbed. He jerked back slightly but chuckled. “And that is why,” he chuckled in pain. “You are the only one, besides Shizuo, who I can never handle. However, you’re new, so that might soon fade.”

               She frowned. “So why are you petting my stomach?” she asked bluntly.

               He chuckled. “Because it seems to bother you,” he shrugged.

               She smirked. “Or is it because…” she trailed off, not wanting to even finish her statement.

               His hand stopped moving. Izaya pulled back, bringing her with him. “What were we talking about before we were interrupted?” he asked, obviously referring to before she stabbed him.

               Akira shrugged. “I don’t remember,” she murmured truthfully.

               They sat in an awkward silence for a moment. Yoshi waved over to her and yelled across the room excitedly. “It’s almost time, Rin-chan~!” she practically sang.

               The blonde smiled and jumped up away from Izaya. “I’ll be right there!” She turned to the raven haired man and grinned with true happiness. She bowed just slightly, glaring at the man. “I’m _so_ sorry,” she laughed an obvious lie, “But the show is about to start.”

               She ran off before he could even respond. She ran happily onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. Yoshi showed her over to the dressing room, where they would both change into a costume selected for the set.

               Akira grabbed the white uniform, Yoshi the black. They went into separate dressing rooms to change. The blonde quickly slid on the comfortable pants and shirt. She switched her cat ears out for a bow and white headphones, like Rin Kagamine’s of course. She grabbed the arm things and slid them on. Switching out her shoes for the comfortable white shoes, she smiled at how alike Rin she looked.

               She walked the same time Yoshi did. The brunette wore an outfit similar to her own, tough instead she wore white shorts and a black long sleeved shirt with cat ears and a tail as well as black boots. They high-fived each other and complemented the other’s outfit.

               The two friends walked so they were in position behind the curtain. They listened as the boss introduced them. “Welcome!” the woman cooed sweetly, “Welcome all! We have a special treat for you tonight. As some of you may know, we have a new sister within our happy family! She will be performing the infamous song Bad Apple with a favorite hostess. Now give it up for Rin and Yoshi!”

               The audience cheered and clapped as the curtain began to rise and the music began to play. Akira and Yoshi began to dance as soon as the time came. Akira began singing when the time came, dancing at the same time. Their moves were synchronized except for when they had to separate. They danced easily and happily.

               Akira forgot all about her troubles, her mind placing her in a black space, where the music was the only sound besides her voice and Yoshi was the only person besides herself. They were MMD models with a black background, performing for their master.

               Soon the song finished and the two danced so they were back to back. They paused for a while before turning to each other and high-fiving yet again. They bowed to the crowd and waited as the boss came up to greet them. “Amazing as always girls!” the boss praised into a microphone, “Give it up for Rin and Yoshi!”

               The crowd cheered and clapped loudly. The two girls blushed and bowed happily. The boss sent them off the stage and told the DJ to keep playing some music, preferably by Rin Kagamine.

               Akira blushed and people swarmed to congratulate her and compliment her. She was requested by several others and went on to serve them. She didn’t see Izaya  after that and couldn’t help but wonder where he went off to. Oh, how she hoped he wouldn’t stalk her home.

               After everyone left and the café closed, the workers all went to change out of their uniforms and into their regular clothes. Nana came out in a loose shirt and pants, covering almost everything but her face and neck.  Yoshi came out in a simple shirt and jeans like Akira herself, though the brunette didn’t wear a jacket. The triplets came out in different styles, one girly, one hardcore, and the last in baggy clothes.

               They walked out of the café, leaving their boss to close up. “See you tomorrow, girls!” the woman called after them.

               They waved in return and turned to go their separate ways. Nana and Yoshi walked alongside the blonde for a while. A thought weighed on the girl’s mind and she dared to ask it openly. “Do you two know where I can get quality weapons?” she asked casually, “Not anything that will snap easily, but something that can last for a long while. Preferably ranging from kunais and knifes to swords and guns of various sizes?”

               The two looked at her as if she was insane and she just shrugged. “I might need one,” she murmured, looking away as she thought about her current wound.

               Yoshi sighed and Nana shrugged. “I have no idea,” the older girl admitted, “Though I heard from some of my clients that they got pretty good knives at an underground store.”

               Yoshi looked shocked. “You should know we can’t talk about that!” she hushed the older woman, “We can get into big trouble if people think we’re a part of the Dollars or the Yellow Scarves!”

               Akira tried to calm them down. “Sorry,” she laughed, “I guess I should’ve know that there wouldn’t be anyone who sold knives and swords, let alone guns. I forgot they were illegal here…”

               The brunette her age turned to her with an intense look on her face. “You shouldn’t be asking of such things in the first place!” the girl said in fear.

               The blonde looked into her friend’s eyes to see that the brown pools were dark with fear and regret. “You know where I can though, don’t you?” Akira murmured.

               Yoshi sighed again but nodded the subtlest of nods. “I know a place,” she murmured, “It’s hard to find though…. They’re always on the move….”

               “But who sells them?” Akira asked eagerly, “I need to know!”

               The brunette looked at her in surprise. “Why are you so eager to know?” the girl questioned fiercely.

               The blonde looked at the ground. “I just need a way to defend myself other than my own hand-to-hand skills…” she admitted sadly.

               The brunette didn’t question further. “There’s this information broker who wields a pretty good switchblade,” she murmured quietly, “He can tell you anything if it interests him. He doesn’t accept payment, but gives away information to those who he finds interesting.”

               The words made the hairs on Akira’s neck stand up in alarm. Interesting. It couldn’t be. Her friend wasn’t suggesting…. “What’s his name,” she said easily, though she had to restrain herself from trembling.

               “Orihara Izaya.”


	2. Truth in Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, I think I got bored and never finished, so sorry if it ends abruptly.

               The three had split away on different paths. Akira walked calmly down the sidewalk. What Yoshi had told her didn’t help at all. No way in _hell_ was she going to the man she was trying to defend herself from. He was the reason she needed a good knife.

               She hit a nearby wall angrily. How come he seemed to be everywhere. On the streets, in people’s words, in her _mind_.

               The blonde continued to walk down the sidewalk. The sky was black and the lights around her dim. She took out her phone and flipped it open, looking at her wallpaper for a second. If only her friend had said the Dollars. That’d have been so much easier to handle! She looked at her contacts, scrolling down the pages. She stopped at Shizuo’s number, staring at the name for a moment.

               Shizuo….

               She began running, cell phone still in her palm. She ran quickly down the sidewalk, hoping to get to Shizuo’s house before someone could stop her yet again. Her pace picked up and she was running quickly. She turned the corner sharply and ran to the house. Once the house came into sight, she turned to the door and opened it quickly.

               The blonde paused in the doorway. Shizuo was standing there, looking at her with wide eyes. He raised a brow and looked at her with a hidden emotion. “You okay?” he murmured.

               She took in a deep breath and sighed. “Yeah,” she chuckled half-heartedly, “Sorry.”

               He blinked and shrugged, going to the kitchen. She walked into her room, putting her maids outfit away. The blonde put the bloody cosplay she had laid on the bed back into her suitcase. She looked around in confusion. Where was the shirt?

               Akira walked out into the living room and sat down. Shizuo walked in form the kitchen, not holding a glass of milk like she expected. He looked distracted, sad. She blinked up at him. “What’s wrong, Shizuo-kun?” she asked innocently.

               He walked around the couch and stood in front of her. “Shizuo-kun?” she murmured in confusion.

               He slammed one hand beside her head. He placed his knees on either side of her, pinning her to the spot. His free hand went to the bottom rim of her shirt. “Shizuo-kun!” she screamed in fear.

               He ignored her protest and pulled her shirt up so her stomach was exposed. So her bandage was exposed. He stopped and looked at the red bandage. She ceased screaming and looked at her stomach as well. She looked back up at Shizuo, his teeth gritted. “What the hell happened?” he growled at her, shaking just slightly.

               “Shizuo…” she murmured quietly.

               “What the hell happened!” he repeated louder.

               She winced and sighed, looking down at her stomach and trying not to look into his eyes. “I-I just…” she didn’t know what to say, so she stuttered out the truth, “I ran into… Into Orihara o-on the way home… I tried to get away from him… B-but he’s just so stupid! He cornered me and I stabbed him. I wasn’t thinking and he ended up stabbing me, too.”

               “Izaya…..” Shizuo growled.

               “S-Shizuo-kun,” she murmured.

               He got up off her and flipped the table in front of them in frustration. “Damn that Izaya!” he growled, “I’m going to kill him. But I’m going to kill him nice and slow. Torture that bastard!”

               Akira jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “Shizuo-kun!” she cried, “Calm down!”

               He breathed heavily but stopped. “I’m okay,” she murmured into his back, “I’m okay. It’s alright. Just kill him. Don’t torture him. Just kill him. Please….”

               Shizuo was calm by then. He turned around in her grip and hugged back. “You could’ve died,” he breathed into her neck.

               “I know,” she murmured beside his ear, “But I didn’t. I’m alive. And I stabbed him, so it’s okay. It’s all okay.”

               He held her tighter, but still like she was fragile glass ready to break any moment. “But you’re not okay,” he murmured. He pulled away slightly to look at her. “We’ve got to get you to a doctor,” he declared.

               She blinked. “And how are we going to explain this to a stupid doctor?” she asked him.

               He smiled. “Who says it’ll be a regular doctor?” he chuckled.

               She stared at him for a second. He lifted her off the ground and put her over his shoulder. “What the hell?” she exclaimed in confusion.

               She could tell he was smiling but he didn’t answer. The man carried her out the door and away. “I can walk on my own, you know,” she murmured.

               She could feel him laugh quietly, but still he didn’t respond. She pouted and allowed herself to go limp. She got comfortable and rested on his shoulder in the best way she could. She sighed and watched as people passed, looking back at them as if they were aliens. She smiled at a few and even waved a few times.

               They were rounding a familiar apartment. She looked up at it, trying to remember why it was so familiar. She blinked as Shizuo carried her up some steps and stopped at a door. He kicked at it a few times. The door opened and she recognized Shinra immediately. “Shizuo-san?” the doctor blinked, “Why do you have a girl on your shoulder?”

               Akira looked under his arm best she could and flashed him an upside-down peace sign. “Yo!” she chuckled.

               Shinra looked at her for a second before smiling. “You’re that girl from the other day, aren’t you?” he asked her smiling.

               She nodded. “Please tell him to put me down,” she said innocently.

               The doctor blinked. “Why’d he carry you here in the first place?”

               “He thinks I can’t walk because I got stabbed in the stomach,” she shrugged.

               “You know I can hear everything you’re saying, right?” Shizuo murmured, placing her back on the ground.

               She shrugged and walked into the room. “Hey Celty!” she greeted the headless rider as she noticed the woman sitting on the couch.

               Celty seemed to look over at her and flashed a greeting on the phone. “Let’s see it,” Shinra directed her to the couch.

               She took a seat beside Shizuo and rolled her shirt up so her bandage was visible. Tapping could be heard on the other side of her as Celty wrote a message to her housemate. “Don’t do anything weird, Shinra,” it read, “She’s just a kid.”

               The doctor pouted. “No trust, Celty, no trust!” he faked being hurt, “Go ahead and take off the bandage. Very good job of putting it on, I must say.”

               Akira just shrugged and took off the bandage. As she unwrapped the bloody cloth, her large wound was revealed. She looked at it, the thought of how she got it coming back to her. Her eyes went wide and she froze, the bandage fully off.

               Shinra took a look at it, his glasses reflecting the light so she couldn’t see his eyes. He nodded in thought a stood up. “It looks like you did a good job cleaning it up and stopping the bleeding,” he murmured, going away to get something, “I can stitch it up for you if you like, but I think you can just let it heal on its own. You won’t get a scar that way. But, stitching it up will help it not get infected or anything. It’s all up to you.” He came back with a pair of gloves on his hands and a small tray of medical instruments.

               Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the shiny metal. Tapping could be heard and Celty flashed the doctor a message. He sighed, shaking his head. “One little autopsy and you think I’m going to dissect everyone!” he murmured, “Seriously, no trust, Celty. It kinda hurts…”

               Shizuo and Akira exchanged a glance. She shrugged. “I’m good with a scar. I mean I actually always wanted one,” she murmured to her friend, “But I also don’t care if I never get one. You brought me here, you can tell him what to do.”

               He stared at her for a moment, his eyes dark with concern. He looked up at Shinra and nodded. The doctor gave a happy smile, the blonde girl shuddering at the sight. The two beside her got up and let her lay on the couch so the stitching would be easier. She put an arm over her eyes so she couldn’t see it; she could handle dissecting frogs and baby pigs, but she hated that kind of stuff when it came to humans.

               Tired, she drifted into sleep, forgetting about everything. When she opened her eyes she was in the same alleyway. “What the hell?” she murmured to herself.

               She had her kunai in hand and was staring at a dead end. She turned and watched as a shadowed figure approached her. Her eyes strained to see who it was. He looked oddly familiar, yet the shadows concealed his face. Her eyes grew wide as the person stopped and wing looking shadows unfurled behind him.

               It was then she realized who it was.

               Light passed over the person’s face for a brief moment, revealing his features. She stared in fear and anger.

               “Orihara Izaya,” she breathed as the person stepped forward a few times more.

               “Akira-chan,” he murmured, smirking his damn smirk.

               She stepped back in a defensive position, her kunai poised and ready to stab the stupid man yet again. He only smirked and leaned on one leg. “Do you really think you have the nerve?” he chuckled, spreading his arms out to show he had no weapons.

               “Do you really think you can lie to me?” she growled back.

               He smirked. His hand twitched and his switchblade slid up to his palm, the knife extended. He pointed it at her, his shadow large and somewhat scary.

She could feel her own shadow moving above her head and to one side. Her vision moved so she could see herself. Her shadow moved so she had what looked like lightning at first, but then eased into what appeared to be fox ears and a tail. Akira smirked at the sight.

Her vision went back to her body and she glared at Izaya. The man only smiled. There was a moment of silence before he lunged at her. She moved just enough to get out of the way, the knife cutting of a small piece of her hair. She bumped into the wall. He jumped at her again, blade pointed straight for her stomach. She tried to kick him, but only got her knee up fast enough. His blade cut into her stomach, making her scream out in pain.

He smirked that disgusting smirk of his. He jumped back and got ready for her move. She glared up at him, her arms dangling at her side. “Damn you,” she gasped.

Izaya walked slowly to her, pinning her against the wall with one hand to her neck. She gasped for breath. “You interest me, Akira-chan,” he said dementedly, “You interest me so…”

She went limp. He poked at her stomach with his blade yet again. “Damn you,” she hissed, making him smile brightly, innocently.

She dropped her kunai, her shaking hand going to her back pocket for a second one. Somehow she managed to slide her hand to her back pocket and grab the weapon. “Damn you!” she screamed.

She took her blade and pressed it against his stomach tightly. She fell on top of him, the blade still in his stomach. She smirked as she watched the blood rise up from his stomach. He only smirked at her.

The blonde blinked in confusion and anger. He began to disappear into the shadows, almost melting. She stabbed the ground, but he was gone. Tears began to block her vision. She slammed her hand against the ground. She wanted to scream but she kept it to herself. “Shini,” she murmured the beginning of the number to Lord Death in Soul Eater, a favorite anime of hers, “shini, koroshi…”

 

Celty had jumped back in surprise as the girl yelled out. Shinra had poked the girl’s stomach with the needle he was going to use to stitch up her stomach. His eyes were wide with surprise. Shizuo frowned, his own eyes wide. “What the hell?” he breathed angrily.

Shinra got closer and continued the stitching quickly. The needle quickly went in and out of her skin as if it was cloth. The girl gasped and Shizuo’s eyes narrowed as if wincing in pain. She was wincing in pain with each poke.

The blonde watched as the girl began moving her hand. Everyone stopped to watch. Was she awake already? Her eyes were still closed. Her hand went behind her. Her wrist moved slightly and her hand drew back out into the open again.

A shining black kunai was in her hand. Shizuo’s eyes grew wide.

“Damn you!” she screamed, moving her hand towards Shinra in a stabbing movement.

Shizuo blocked the blade with his hand, wincing in pain. “Just finish up already,” the blonde growled.

Shinra nodded and finished up the procedure. He ended and Shizuo embraced her quickly, trying to make her calm down. The young blonde girl was shaking violently, tears making their way slowly down her face. “Shini, shini, koroshi,” the girl murmured hatefully.

 

The world went black as she woke up. She could feel something warm wrapped around her. She blinked her eyes open, clearing away the water from her eyes. She saw Shinra and Celty standing there, the doctor smiling and the Dullahan appearing to smile. She looked around for Shizuo, moving only her eyes.

The grip around her grew tighter and she looked down to see the back of a man. A slight blush rose on her cheeks as she realized who it was. “Shizuo-kun,” she said drearily.

He hugged her tighter, his uneven breathing telling her he was on the brink of tears. “Akira-chan,” he whispered so only she could hear.

“Shizuo-kun,” she repeated his name. He didn’t reply so she went on. “I can’t breathe!” she gasped, “Can you loosen up or let go, please!”

He paused for a second before letting her go. She blinked up at him, blushing slightly. He was looking away from her, the same shade on his face. She smiled and whipped her face free of tears. He looked at her and gave the smallest hint of a smile. The blondes looked at her stomach. It was fully stitched.

Akira looked back up at Shizuo. He was looking at his bloody hand. She looked at her own and realized she had a bloody kunai in it. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she remembered her dream. Shizuo looked up at her, realizing she had noticed. He smiled weakly and chuckled lamely, “It’s okay. I just need a Band-Aid.”

The blonde girl frowned, her eye brows furrowed. “ _You_ just need a Band-Aid, but _I_ needed stitches?” she said disbelievingly, “I get it, you’re tough, but come on!”

She heard a chuckle and looked to see Shinra laughing. She smiled weakly at the doctor. “Thanks for that, by the way,” she murmured, “And sorry if I.. um… caused any trouble when I slept. It looks like I might have.”

“Oh not at all!” the doctor lied, “You were relaxed and were a perfect patient!”

Akira narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t you lie to me!” she growled.

Celty typed something on her PDA and showed it to her, shrugging. “You did scare us a little,” it read, “But it’s all alright, so don’t worry about it.”

The blonde hesitated but eventually nodded. “I am sorry,” she murmured, looking at Shizuo’s hand.

The man looked at her, his eyes unreadable. She only stared back, smiling sadly. The older blonde stood and walked over to the door. Akira followed hesitantly. “Thanks again, Shinra,” she called over her shoulder, “It feels like I practically owe you my trust, now!” She chuckled awkwardly before following her friend out the door and away.

Once they were out, Shizuo picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder again. She gave a whimper of protest. He ignored her and she sighed. “If you insist on carrying me, can’t it be piggyback style?” she murmured, “This is uncomfortable.”

He looked at her, somewhat shocked. Still, he smiled and let her down, only to lift her onto his back. She couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that he actually did it. She leaned her cheek against his back as he carried her down the stairs, her arms wrapped around his neck to help herself not fall. He walked casually with her on his back.

A chuckle escaped her lips. She could feel him tense just slightly as she tried to jump up a little to put her head on his shoulder. He readjusted his hold on her legs, which were wrapped around his arms loosely. “Hey, Shizuo-kun?” she practically sang into his ear, nuzzling at his shoulder deviously.

               “Hmm?”

               “Isn’t this a little embarrassing for you?” she chuckled nervously.

               “Why?”

               She puffed out her cheeks, not liking his one word question. “Well,” she thought aloud, “I guess I just figured it’d be a little weird for you—being the supposed toughest guy in Ikebukuro and all—to be giving a piggyback ride to a younger girl. Scratch that, a girl in general.”

               He seemed to hesitate and that made her giggle softly. He didn’t respond and she chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yeah,” she murmured satisfied.

               Akira could tell he frowned as he sighed. “I can put you back over my shoulder, if you want,” he growled out softly.

               She chuckled nervously. “No, no,” she pleaded, “Don’t do that.”

               Shizuo carried her the rest of the way, the two of them receiving confused glances from everyone they passed. It was dark by then. They passed the Russia Sushi place again. “Russia Sushi!” Simon was trying to pass out flyers yet again, “Come and eat Russia Sushi! It good. I give you big discount!”

               The blonde could feel him pick up the pace as they passed and noticed he tried to look away from the large black man. “Shizuo!” the man cheered.

               Akira could feel Shizuo tense and couldn’t help but smile. “Hey Simon!” she said in his place.

               “Ah, and Shizuo’s little girl friend,” the sushi seller greeted kindly.

               “How many times—” Shizuo began.

               “Do I have to tell _you_ that’s not what he meant,” she interrupted chuckling.

               The blonde man looked away embarrassedly. She smiled and looked at Simon again. He was trying to get her and Shizuo to eat some sushi again. “No thanks,” she chuckled, “I’m really tired. Maybe next time!”

               They exchanged their farewells and Shizuo carried her away quickly. He was being quiet, an intense look on his face as he stared at his feet. Akira frowned and poked at his cheek. “You know he meant I’m your girl friend, right?” she murmured, continuously poking his face, “I mean with a space between girl and friend. Like, a friend who’s a girl or a female acquaintance or something.”

               He didn’t answer her and she sighed, poking at his face harder. “Jeez,” she murmured, “You need to chill out… Or at least respond! Even snap at me for poking you-!” With her last three words, she poke harder and harder, finally jabbing his squishy cheek hard.

               “Don’t make me bite your finger off,” he murmured so she could barely hear.

               “See!” she laughed,  lazily laying her arms over his shoulders, “That’s what I was looking for!”

               He smiled the tiniest smile ever and she grinned widely. She nuzzled his shoulder and sighed. Her stomach fluttered slightly and she felt her face heat up slightly. She only smiled though, because she knew his face was red, too. She almost fell asleep she was so tired; she wasn’t lying when she told Simon that.

               He stopped suddenly and she jerked away from him slightly. “What happened?” she yawned.

               “Nothing,” he murmured quickly, “Nothing, just go back to sleep.”

               She yawned and rubbed her eyes with one hand. “How long was I out?” she murmured; it didn’t feel like she had been sleeping.

               “For a little while,” he murmured, “Go ahead and sleep.”

               “Why?” she asked half-awake.

               He didn’t reply. This startled her. “Shizuo-kun,” she murmured sternly.

               He hushed her harshly and she pouted out her lip slightly. She watched over his shoulder for a moment, trying to see what he saw. Her eyes grew wide and she ducked down behind him. “Why, why, why?” she growled quietly, “Can’t I just get back so I can sleep without seeing that _damn_ troll?”

               Shizuo scowled. Akira sighed, her head hurting slightly. “Listen,” she murmured, “If you want to go kick the living hell out of—or into—him, I strongly approve! Just put me down and I’ll head back on my own.”

               He looked at her and she smiled lightly. “And if you kill him, bonus!” she chuckled lightly.

               He smirked and gave the tiniest breath of a laugh. “I probably should make sure you get home without getting cut up again,” he sighed, “You seem to have a habit of getting injured when I’m not around.”

               She smacked at his head. “Shut up!” she laughed.

               He gave a small laugh and readjusted so it was more comfortable. They hid around the corner, peeking out slightly. The raven haired man was looking away from them, his back facing them. Akira smirked as they quickly made their way away from him. The blondes stalked the shadows, trying not to be seen. “Why is a girl riding on Shizuo’s back,” she kept hearing murmurs similar to the words.

               Frowning, Akira tried to keep hidden from the troll. They had a little trouble, but somehow made it away from the flea and was soon at the front door to the house. Akira blinked in slight confusion. “That was easier than I thought,” she muttered to herself.

               Shizuo shrugged. She opened the door for him and he carried her inside. The blonde tried to get down so she could walk to her room, but he just carried her there. He let her drop onto her bed and she chuckled. “Thanks,” she murmured, blushing slightly.

               He just nodded and looked away, the same tint of red on his cheeks. She couldn’t help but giggle. He began walking out and a small “Nya” escaped her lips. Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled the sheets up over her nose.

               He turned to her in confusion. “What was that?” he murmured.

               She blushed under the sheets and only shook her head, not wanting to admit what it really was. She had this habit of meowing when she was either extremely happy or saw something really cute or what she thought was hot. She hoped it was really just happiness that made her meow. 

               He only shrugged and turned away, heading to his room. She closed her eyes and pulled the covers up over her head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she growled at herself quietly, “Bad Akira! No! You have to go back, you have to finish up high school, get your black belt. You can’t let anything stop you from returning home. Not even a guy…. Who’s cute… and cool…. And….. _No!_ Stop it!”

               She pulled the covers back away from her face. “I just can’t….” she sighed, turning onto her side.

               Slowly, she fell into a dreamless sleep. She was happy for the blackness, taking comfort in it. She woke the next morning and quickly grabbed a hoodie she made after being inspired by Matryoshka. She just wore what she slept in underneath it. It was almost like a quick last minute cosplay without even having to be, seeing as her Rin one was ruined.

               She ran out after drinking a quick bottle of milk; Shizuo’s orders, of course. After that, she came back and grabbed her maids outfit, arriving on time for the first time. She saw no sign of Izaya and didn’t even think about it. She did the same thing for the next few days, getting her stitching removed by Shinra on the Monday after she got them. Soon the last day of the convention came and went, leaving her to her maids work.

               Akira looked at Yoshi while they were cleaning. “I’m quitting,” she murmured abruptly.

               The brunette turned to her in shock. “Why?” she practically yelled, startling all the girls.

               The blond sighed. “I’m going to be leaving for America soon,” she murmured, “So I’m going to take my pay and leave. I’ll stop by every now and again ‘til such a day to work or just relax, but I’m not going to be able to come all the time. It’s just too difficult….”

               They all stared at her. The boss had come into the room and was frowning. “I’m sorry to hear that,” the tall woman murmured, “But if that’s your choice. Like all famous idols, I guess it’d be weird if you stayed forever. I’ll have your pay by you before you leave today.”

               “I’m really sorry and I’ll work for free every great now and again, but sooner or later I’m going to have to go home,” the blonde murmured.

               “No, I understand,” the boss said evenly.

               They worked the rest of the might in silence. Afterwards, Akira went to the boss and received her pay, the atmosphere awkward. The woman told the blonde she could keep the outfit as a present and to never forget them. Akira accepted thankfully, though she didn’t know what exactly she’d do with a maid’s dress.

               She walked back to Shizuo’s house silently, her iPod forgotten at the house. Instead, she tried to get a song into her head. Gumi’s Ten-faced came to mind. She chuckled as she hummed the song she had sung at the convention. Frowning, she remembered that the cosplay that had won the contest for her was ruined by that troll. She hated the thought. Stupid troll.

               The blonde walked casually into the house and put the maids outfit in her suitcase. She switched that out for the laptop that had been hidden beneath a load of clothes. She slid out the red and black computer and leaned against her bed.

               Quickly, the girl logged onto her mail, clearing away the junk. She gazed at it for a minute, considering sending her mom an E-mail asking if she could stay. Her mom would probably respond to a text faster though….

               Akira closed up her account and went to her regular sites. She didn’t have enough time to draw on the drawing site, but she did send a quick message to her friend back in America.

               Blood:

                   So, how was the convention in Japan? Man I wish I could’ve gone; my mom sucks! You got me something, right? JK, JK…. You got me a bunch of things right? =3 But seriously, how are things? Can you understand people? Tell me stuff, lady!

 

             She couldn’t help but smile. Her friend was so weird, but she was cool. Akira wished she could’ve come along; it would’ve been so much more fun with her.

 

          Crazy:

                   Yo! Convention was way cool; way better than ones in America! So many better cosplays, too. I even met otaku like us! They were cool and we hung out the whole day. Though, they can’t compare to you, my abusive friend! ^_^ And yes, I got you a little gift =3 I hope you like Pocky! XD That and an England mochi plush. Sorry, I didn’ know what to buy you ^_^” I only got a few thing, too. An America mochi plush, Pocky, and a bunch of other plush XD I had to buy an Akatsuki bag to carry it all! Still, I love it~!

In other news~!

I can understand people here just fine. Fluent in Japanese, remember? I think that’s the only easy thing about this vacation though… I did win in the tournament; all first places! Got a bloody head from my fight though. Hang on, I should start from the beginning, that way it makes a little more sense.

I am currently staying with a cool guy named Shizuo. He’s been really nice to me.

 

               The blonde looked at what she wrote and chuckled.

 

…No thinking the wrong way, lady! He’s really cool and is allegedly the toughest guy here. Heh, he’s just a big softy at heart ^w^ I’m only staying with him because there aren’t any cheap hotels here -_-“ Glad I met him, though! XD Anyway, yeah. I went to the tournament the next day and met this guy named Orihara Izaya. He was kinda like my bag guardian while I competed. Still, it was weird having some random dude always sitting beside me…. So yeah, in my fight I got a bloody head because the chick I was fighting for first kicked me into the wall -_-  So rude! But, being the nice me, I forgave her ^w^ And yeah… I spent the next day unconscious in an underground doctor’s house. Oh! I met the legend of Ikebukuro there! The black bike exists!! ^0^ Anyway, the doctor healed my head and Shizuo and I went to a weird Russian Sushi place to eat XD No, not like a date or any crap like that. I was freaking hungry! I hadn’t eaten in days! So yeah. I got a job, too! As a maid at a cosplay café! XD How nice is that? Quit today, but got paid. Hmm… I already told you about my new otaku friends and the Con….. hmm… oh yeah! That guy, Orihara (obviously his first name is Izaya, but I really hate this guy and you’ll see why soon =_=), has an “interest” in me and I feel like he keeps stalking me TT~TT I stabbed him once, but then it backfired and I got a huge slash in my stomach. Underground doctor stitched me up though (upon Shizuo’s request, I didn’ care ^^”)  and now I only have a scar to prove it XD So I guess something good came out of that ^^”

Sorry it’s so long, but you did tell me to tells you stuff! XDD

 

               She sent it and went onto a few other sites. She sent her mom a message on one of the sites asking if she could stay longer and explaining in a little less detail what happened. She was fine, she won at the tournament, she had fun at the convention, she was eating well and alive and was living happily. That sort of stuff.

               The blonde was just about to shut the computer down when a message popped up. It was from the chat she had joined with her parents’ permission. It said that someone was online. Kanra, it looked like the name said. She gulped, wondering if she should join.

               After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to join in the chat.

 

—Kitsune has joined the Chat—

Kanra: Oh, hello there, little newbie! ヽ(´▽`)/

Kitsune: Eto, yo? (＾ω＾)

Kanra: I thought no one would come~（‐＾▽＾‐）

Kitsune: Sorry to disappoint （^_^ ）

Kitsune: Just out of curiosity….

Kitsune: Oh never mind, it’s stupid….

Kanra: Oh? What’s stupid? Tell me!! (≧▽≦)

Kitsune: Well…..

Kitsune: I guess I’m just curious about the people in Ikebukuro

Kanra: Like how?

Kitsune: Whatever, I’m just curious

Kanra: Well, there are the Dollars. You shouldn’t get involved with them.

Kitsune: Oh, I’ve heard of the Dollars!

Kanra: So you know how dangerous they are, right?

Kitsune: Well, some of them are just stupid, I think.

Kitsune: I know a few members and they aren’t all crazy dangerous

Kitsune: ….well, unless you pissed them off or something….

Kanra: So, are you part of the Dollars?

 

The question unnerved her. Still, she answered a quick “No.”

 

Kanra: Of course not! Silly me~!

Kitsune: Sorry, but I have to go… Talk to you later?

Kanra: Sure, no problem! Bye~!

—Kitsune has left the Chat—

Akira didn’t really have to go, she just didn’t feel like talking much anymore. She shut down her laptop and slid it back into her suitcase. She sprawled herself over the bed and sighed. “The Dollars…” she murmured to herself, “And their leader…. Jeez, why can’t I ever remember his name?”

She closed her eyes and slowly fell into a deep sleep. The next few days were similar. She usually relaxed around the house now that she had nothing to do. Every now and again she’d chat with Kanra. Her friend still hadn’t messaged her back, though, and neither did her mom.

Eventually Akira got bored with that, too. “Shizuo-kun!” she sighed one day when he was going out the door, “I’m bored!”

He looked at her and sighed. She chuckled and followed him out the door, iPod in her pocket. “Shizuo-kun,” she kept repeating, “I’m bored-! Entertain me!”

It took about a minute for him to get annoyed at this. He turned to her, full aware of the people that looked at them. She couldn’t see his eyes and her heart beat in fear, her eyes wide and her face pale. Before she had time to respond, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “What the hell?” she yelped, “S-Shizuo-kun!”

She hit his back and kicked, missing his head every time. She smacked his head with an arm, kicking him. He stopped walking and she froze. “If you want me to put you down,” he murmured, a small smirk on his face, “Be quiet and behave.”

Pouting, she let her body go limp. He continued to carry her in silence and she sighed. “Hey,” she murmured.

He didn’t respond so she just asked, “Do you know where I can get a good knife?”

The blonde looked at her in surprise. “Why do you want to know that?” he inquired.

She shrugged. “I can’t keep defending myself with kunai,” she murmured, “I need something reliable to use to defend myself. Preferably easy to conceal.”

He thought for a moment, her still on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “No,” he said finally, “I don’t think I do.”

She frowned and let him carry her in silence for a moment longer. He stopped in the shade and placed her down, hitting her head with a soft fist. “You going to behave?” he asked like a parent to a child.

She chuckled and nodded. She followed him a short ways before jumping up excitedly. “Do I get ice-cream?” she laughed like a hyper child.

He looked at her over his shoulder and shook his head. She pouted but ran after him. He didn’t respond to her childish behavior, instead he ignored it. Akira jumped up beside him to match his height. “Shizuo-kun,” she said happily, “Where are we going, anyway?”

Shizuo didn’t reply and she couldn’t help but think he had no idea either. She sighed and mimicked his casual walk. They passed a clothes store and the blonde girl quickly went in and bought a black tie, grey jacket, and navy sun glasses. She put them on, her navy t-shirt surrounded by black, and ran back to meet up with Shizuo.

He looked over at her striding calmly beside him. “Where’d you get that?” he asked.

“A shop back there,” she pointed behind them. 

He shrugged as she matched his pace. They walked side by side, Akira mimicking him. She was reminded of the kunai in her pocket and smirked. Shizuo took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, lighting it. Akira tried not to breath in the smoke.

She followed him for a little while longer before both stopped. Akira looked up at him and followed his gaze. Her eyes narrowed sharply as she looked at the man.

“Izaya-kun-!” Shizuo drug out his name angrily.

The blonde gripped the closest sign and ripped it clear off the ground. Akira watched in amazement. This must be what he meant by people feared his strength. She watched as he threw the sign at the raven haired man, aimed straight at the troll. She watched the flying sign as it zoomed through the air. Somehow, Izaya moved and the sign missed. “How the hell did—?” she practically yelled in frustration.

“Izaya-!” Shizuo growled as he walked quickly up to the raven haired man.

“Shizu-chan!” Izaya said with fake happiness.

“I thought I told you to stay out of Ikebukuro!” the blonde growled.

“Well, you see that’ll be a little harder now,” the raven cooed.

Shizuo’s only reply was a flying trashcan. Izaya dodged and ran up to the blonde, knife at hand. “Shizuo-kun!” Akira couldn’t help but yell protectively, running in closer to the action.

She stopped, kunai positioned at her side, ready to be used. She was embarrassed to hold such a lame weapon, but it was all she had. Izaya looked over Shizuo’s shoulder at her. “’Kira-chan?” he called in slight confusion.

               Shizuo jumped back protectively hiding her. “Get back!” he growled at her.

               “No!” she spat.

               “ _’Kira-chan_?” Izaya repeated.

               “Would you shut up, you stupid Eskimo!” she growled over to the troll, “Don’t call me that!”

               He only smirked. “What a surprise!” he cooed, walking stupidly from side to side, “Shizu-chan and ‘Kira-chan! Who knew?”

               The blondes stared at him angrily. Shizuo picked up a vending machine and threw it at the black haired boy. As he did, Akira took the chance and quickly ran in the shadows, keeping hidden. Izaya stepped with his back towards her and she took the opening. She slashed at him as he turned towards her, cutting his shirt. His eyes were wide as she did, but she gave him no time to respond. She quickly ran forward, preparing for whatever the troll had install for her.

               He only stopped and looked from side to side, his hand covering his wound. He looked frustrated. He looked from blonde to blonde wildly. Finally, he looked towards the ground, a smirk on his face. He looked at Shizuo, smiling happily for some stupid reason.

               Akira prepared to bolt towards him to her guardian’s aid. Izaya feinted towards Shizuo but rounded back on her. She was ready for anything, though. She was rooted to the ground as he came at her with his blade. He aimed for her chest but she jerked back out of the way, blocking it with her own blade.

               Izaya wasn’t even trying; it was obvious to her. She moved away but he just kept coming at her. She  somehow even got a punch in straight to his bleeding stomach. Her cut wasn’t too deep, but deep enough for a good amount of blood. She sliced at him, trying to get in a few hits as well as block.

               Miscalculating her steps, she ended up tripping, grabbing the first thing that her hand came into touch with. Her eyes shut quickly and she hoped it was all a dream to be woken from soon. Her eyes were tight with fear and a hope of dreaming.

               When her blue orbs fluttered open, all she saw was black. Yet, all around her was warm. She couldn’t be back in America! That’d be so mean….

               She pulled away slightly, her hands still gripping some type of cloth. She recognized the feel of arms around her back, holding her up. Akira looked up at who was holding her and gasped. It was Izaya. Of _course_ it had to be him.

               In the moment of shock and fear, she pushed him away, falling to the ground anyway. “Get the hell away from me!” she growled, holding out her blade towards him and her heart beating rapidly.

               He smirked and pretending to fall down with her. He pinned her to the ground, leaning his head in by her ear. “I think you were the one who grabbed onto me,” he chuckled, “’Kira-chan.”

               She shuddered slightly as he brushed his blade against one side of her neck. She gathered her strength and pushed him off, her face red hot. “Stay the hell away from me!” she yelled, blade held out in front of her, already shining red with his blood.

               He smirked and held his hands up. A trashcan flashed above him and she stepped out of the way quickly as it connected with his head. She took the chance and ran back quickly to Shizuo’s side. He was practically steaming with anger. She touched his arm lightly and he glanced at her, calming down slightly. “He’s not dead quiet yet,” she murmured quietly as the troll stood up slowly.

               She stood defiantly with Shizuo at her side. They were all about to lunge at each other when Simon stepped in the way. The large black man stopped Shizuo in mid punch. “Shizuo,” the Russian said in his usual voice, “Fighting bad. Come, eat sushi! It’ll make you feel better.”

               Akira looked over their shoulders to see Izaya making a break for it and sighed. She walked up to the two taller men and placed a hand on Shizuo’s shoulder best she could. He looked down at her and she shook her head. She looked at Simon. “Thanks,” she said politely, “But in truth, we aren’t that hungry. Maybe later, okay?”

               She began pulling Shizuo away from the black man. Once they were a good ways away, the man frowned at her. “Why’d you do that?” he growled.

               The blonde just shook her head. “Damn troll was already gone,” she sighed, “No need to start something stupid without reason.”

               He gazed at her for a moment and she smiled sadly. “He will be killed,” she promised, “By your or even my hand, he will be killed.”

               Shizuo smiled and put his hands in his pockets. Akira grinned widely at him and did the same, half wanting to lean against him. She bit her lip, trying not to let herself meow. She closed her eyes tightly. _No_ , she growled her herself, _no “Nya!” No!_

               When she opened her eyes, she realized he was staring at her. Her lip quivered as she forced her voice down her throat. “Nya!” she gave up, blushing as she hoped yet again that it was only happiness.

               Her heart thumped hard against her chest as he stared at her. “You okay?” he asked, an eye brow raised.

               She nodded quickly. “Yeah, no,” she said with equal speed, “I’m fine!”

               He stared at her for a moment longer before looking away, blushing slightly. She cussed herself out in her mind for being so stupid. He was just a good friend! He couldn’t be anything more. Not when she had to leave… She looked down sadly at the ground she was walking on.

               Maybe her mom would let her stay for a while longer. No, that’d only make it worse. Jeez, why was it so complicated? She sighed at the thoughts and tried to clear her head.

               Shizuo was only a good friend. He wasn’t like a parent, though sometimes he acted like it. No. He was more of the cool brother type. But even that was a little off. He was like family, but then again not. He… he was….. He was like that best friend who you considered family, but was really glad they weren’t? Closer, but still a little off.

               She smiled. Everyone seemed to have a place. Erika and Walker, she remembered, were the friends who you couldn’t help but love. Celty was the friend who you could trust completely and Shinra the one who worried you just slightly. Kida and his friend—she could never remember his name!—were the ones who were just there at the wrong time.

               She had slowed down some and Shizuo was a good ways ahead of her. Off in her own world, she didn’t realize it. Someone calling to her made her stop and come back to reality. “Hey, cutie!” she heard the voice call.

               Speaking of the wrong time!

               Akira turned to see the fake blonde with his hands on his hips. “You again?” she murmured irritably.

               He blinked and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” he murmured. Her paused for a moment but said before she could reply, “Oh that’s right! You’re the girl of my dreams!”

               The blue eyes girl raised a brow at him. She took off her sun glassed and stared blankly at the boy. “Remember me now?” she hissed, “Or do I need to be bleeding or carrying a suitcase?”

               “You’re that girl from before!” his friend exclaimed for him.

               “And you’re the one who’s name I keep forgetting!” she laughed.

               The dark haired boy looked slightly confused. “Mikado,” Kida said, twirling a finger, “You’re ruining my chance!”

               Akira blinked once before laughing. “Yeah right!” she laughed, “You have no chance either way!”

               The blonde looked hurt and his friend confused. She just laughed harder. “I’m sorry!” she laughed last minute, “But it’s so true. You should know that by now!”

               They both just stared at her dumbly. She smiled happily, somehow relaxed after her odd morning. “Akira-chan!” she heard Shizuo call to her.

               She turned and looked at the man standing awhile away from her. He waved her over to him and she chuckled. She turned back to the guys, walking backwards. “And now I say ‘Good-bye!’” she laughed, flashing two peace signs.

               The blonde turned on her heal and ran to catch up with her guardian. She smiled up at him as they began walking. They walked together in silence for a while. And so it went. They would walk together a good ways before Akira would get distracted. She’d finish up whatever distracted her or Shizuo would call her back and they’d keep going to nowhere in particular.

               Akira walked with an ice-cream in one hand and a couple of cards in the other. She studied five of the cards: Joker, Ace, Jack, King and Queen. For some reason she began thinking about chess and how it kind of related. “The queen is the most powerful piece, as well as the ace,” she murmured, “And yet the king is the one you want to capture.”

               “What are you going on about?” Shizuo asked as she licked her chocolate ice-cream.

               She looked up at him through her sunglasses, tongue still on the creamy desert. “Huh? Oh, I was just thinking aloud,” she murmured before holding the cone up, “Wanna lick?”

               He hesitated but ended up taking a quick lick. She smiled and pulled it back down, licking the other side to even it out a little bit. She continued gazing at the cards. She blinked a few times. She wondered about the whole of life, the big picture of the world. Well, of Ikebukuro. In her life, she’d be the Ace of the deck, yet the Rook of a chess board. She had control of her and her life, but wasn’t the most powerful player.

               Yet, in Ikebukuro she felt like the positions changed slightly. Her first thought was that Celty would be a Knight, but soon felt as if she’d be a Queen in both the deck and the set. Then there were the others. She had to consider the gangs as well as Izaya and Shizuo themselves.

               The Dollars made Mikado a King in cards—she placed him with Clovers—and in chess. Kida, she remembered his friend, was the same but she placed him with Diamonds.


End file.
